Oh, Deceiver
by hiially
Summary: Your typical boy meets girl, girl falls in love with girl, boy falls in love with best friend's girl while trying to be with the other girl. Oh...that's not so typical. Primarily JORI, minor bade, minor tandre, minor jandre. This summary is awful, but I swear the story will be better.
1. Boys with Girlfriends

**I don't own Victorious! Story title/chapter titles are from loosely relevant songs. Story title is a Manchester Orchestra song. Chapter one is a Meiko song. Enjoy you guys! I'm interested to know how you feel about it.**

Honestly, what the hell was I thinking going to that stupid club? When Vega had came into school that morning saying that her talentless sister heard about this club downtown that didn't bother carding, every one of us agreed to go. At the time, I was excited. I mean, why the fuck not? It was fun when we had first gotten there, until I was halfway through my fourth drink watching some blonde trip over herself all over my boyfriend. And he just sat there. Smiling at her. Laughing at what she said.

We had gotten into a fight earlier that day, and at that point I didn't really know if we were together or not. But I was still fuming regardless, so I finally managed to pry my eyes away from the horrific sight of that pathetic girl and found my eyes falling on another girl. This one I would hardly consider pathetic. This one, who had been so obviously uncomfortable as some guy kept trying to get closer to her, caught my eye a long time ago. She had her arms crossed over her chest and a tight lipped smile on her face. God, she was gorgeous.

I watched as the guy moved his hand to gently rub a finger on the girl's bare arm and anger flared inside me. I got up from the stool I had been sitting on and walked determinately over to the pair, my fresh drink in my hand.

"Hey, babe. I was waiting for you by the bar." I said to the girl as I slide my arm around her waist, not hesitating to go right into the back pocket of her jeans. What killed me was how natural it felt doing something like that with her.

She looked at me with alarm in her eyes for a moment before she realized what I was doing. A warm smile broke across her face as she leaned into me, "I was on my way, until James here started talking to me." She said, being far more polite than I would have been in the situation.

I looked back to the guy who was gobsmacked as to what he was witnessing, "I didn't know...I'm sorry...Are you really...?" He stammers, and after each fractured sentence I look at him with a sickeningly sweet smile on my face, clearly enjoy his discomfort and embarrassment. Finally he gave up on saying anything and walked away.

The girl tucked into my side let out a sigh, though she didn't bother removing herself from my hold, "Thank you so much, Jade."

I shrugged, "It was more for my personal enjoyment of making that guy feel like an ass. Don't mention it, Vega."

Yeah. Tori Vega. I have a little thing for her, but I've never really understood what it was. I enjoy making her feel uncomfortable. I enjoy watching her uneasy reactions to the things that I do. But at the same time, I enjoy seeing her smile. Her real smile, not her polite I-don't-know-how-to-tell-you-to-leave-me-alone smile.

She pulled my hand out of her pocket and I feel a wave of disappointment flicker somewhere deep inside me, "Come on, let's dance." She says as she's pulling me out on the dance floor with her drink in her other hand and I wonder how many she's had. Reluctantly, I followed. But let's be honest, it was more of an act of reluctance. On the inside I was far too excited to have an excuse to be that close to her.

We were deep in the crowd when she let go of my hand and turned to face me. I didn't have a moment to miss the contact of her when I found that same hand on the exposed skin of my hip. She moved to the music so effortlessly, and it took me a moment to break from the mesmerizing site of her body before I could begin to dance as well.

So we danced and drank, our bodies moving together like they were made for each other. At some point, she had positioned one leg in between mine and got pushed into me by some jackass behind her, but she didn't move away. Instead, that hand that had been on my hip was now tucked into my back pocket, holding me close to her firmly.

When the music turned to a lull, that in between the ending of one song and the beginning of the next Vega leaned close to my ear, "My drink's gone."

Shivers were sent down my spine at the feeling of her hot breath against my skin, "Do you want another?"

"I probably shouldn't." She said, and I looked at her to gauge just how drunk she was. Her eyes were glossed over and her cheeks were pink. She bit down on her lip as she looked at me with a flirtatious smirk.

I leaned back down to whisper in her ear, "Do you wanna get out of here?"

"Yeah." She said, and I instantly grasped her wrist with my hand and dragged her off of the floor and towards the bar.

"Vega and I are going to my place." I said to Beck. He looked at me with a blank stare, and I could tell he had probably had too much to drink.

"Kay." He said.

I bit my tongue, not feeling like giving him the satisfaction to let him know that I was incredibly irritated with him. So I said nothing and instead lead Tori out of the club, my hand protectively placed on her lower back as we stepped out into the cool night air. I walked to the edge of the street, flagging down a taxi and opening the door for Vega. I gave the driver my address as I shut the door and took my seat next to Vega. Her fingers were drawing invisible patterns on my denim clad thigh and I was doing my best to ignore the butterflies erupting in my stomach.

The drive was short, and I was convinced that guy had been going at least ten over for that entire trip. I gave him a generous tip before helping Vega out of the backseat.

We stumbled up to my front door and I had to laugh when we reached the porch, "God, you are drunk, Vega." I said as I tried to fish my keys out of my purse.

I felt her hands sliding the fabric of my shirt up and goosebumps broke all over my skin, "I am not." She chuckled as she gently pushed me forward, my chest pressing against the door.

"Yeah? Well, if it isn't the alcohol in your blood, then what's telling you it's a good idea to be kissing on my neck like that?" I said with a smirk as she pushed my hair out of the way of her lips dancing on my skin.

"The way you've been looking at me. Don't even try to lie, Jade. I'm not stupid." She whispered into my ear as she pushed her body into mine a little more.

My hands were trembling, making it increasingly difficult to unlock my front door, "Christ, Vega. At least let me get us in the damn house." She paused the movements of her lips long enough for me to regain my composure a little bit, just enough to firmly slip the key into the lock and open the door. Luckily I always take the key out as soon as it's unlocked, otherwise they probably would have been completely forgotten considering the fact that the moment the door was open, Vega had pushed me inside and spun me around to face her.

"Does Beck know what you're doing?" She whispered as her lips made brief contact with mine.

"Fuck him." I said simply before cupping her face and kissing her with bruising force. She whimpered against my lips as she gripped my hips. I took a few steps forward, pushing her back against the front door, sliding my hand behind her and clicking the lock in place. I put a slight bit of pressure from my hips onto hers and reveled in the noise she made. She began kissing me with increasing fervor as she slowly began taking steps forward, guiding us away from the door. I popped my feet, one by one, removing the uncomfortable heels I had been wearing and tossing them somewhere behind Vega. I felt her struggle to do the same as I took the lead in guiding us to my stairs.

Once we made it to the second story of my house, I pushed her into the wall of my hallway and moved to attach my lips to her neck. I bit gently, testing to see what her reaction would be. Her head dropped back and a moan escaped those perfect lips, enticing the monster inside me. The bites became a little more intense and her grip in my hair became a little tighter.

"Jade," She breathed, causing me to pull away, "Bed." She whispered, her lids hooded as she looked at me. A devilish smirk broke across my lips as I began walking backwards, looping my fingers into the belt loops of her jeans and tugging her towards me. With her lips pressed against mine, we stumbled into my room. Breaking free for a moment, we looked at each other with heaving chests and swelled lips.

"How long?" I asked as I closed the door.

"What do you mean?"

"How long have you known?" I repeated, moving close to her.

Her eyes scanned over my face as the distance between us closed, "Too long. Tonight just solidified it for me." She breathed before I slid my hand up the back of her neck and crashed our lips together again. Moments later, we were a mess of tangled limbs tumbling onto my bed as hands frantically tried to remove clothing from the other, craving the feeling of more skin.

I kissed down her perfect body, paying homage to the amazing work of art that it is. Her body writhed as harsh bites were soothed with a wet tongue. When my lips passed her navel, her hands twisted into my hair and I took the hint well enough. She let out a sigh as I began, though the innocent image I had of her was almost instantly destroyed as a slew of curse words and very vivid orders were rushing out of her mouth. As if that innocence would have lasted the thought of her letting me go down on her. I had to hold her hips in place to cease her frantic movements until her entire body froze and her voice reached an octave I didn't think was possible. I continued my actions, helping her ride out her ecstasy for as long as possible.

When I lifted myself up, I looked at the peaceful expression her face held as her eyes fluttered open and she looked back up at me.

"Jade." She whispered.

"Sh." I said, moving my body up to lay next to her, "Just sleep." I instructed as I slid the comforter from underneath her body and over us. She complied, burying her face in the crook of my neck once I got comfortable. It didn't talk long for sleep to overcome my exhausted body and mind, not even giving me a chance to think about what I had just done.

I awoke with a start the next morning, to an empty bed and a pounding headache. I sat up slowly, running a hand through my hair and rubbing the sleep away from my eyes. A piece of paper had been propped up on my night stand, so I leaned forward and grabbed it.

Jade- I'm sorry. -Tori

Sorry? What the hell could she have to be sorry about? Oh right, we did have sex last night after all. Fuck. Way to go, Jade. Way to ruin your one chance with the girl. I let out a loud groan as I fell backwards back onto my bed. I laid there for a few minutes, replaying what happened last night over and over in my mind. Suddenly, my phone went off, disrupting my thoughts.

"Hello?" I said, answering it without looking at who was calling.

"Babe. It's me." Beck. Oh fuck. That's right.

"Babe? You sure as hell weren't calling me babe last night." I snipped.

"I'm sorry. I'm outside, can I come in?" His voice cooed to me from the other line.

"Gimme a sec." I said, hanging up without saying goodbye. I pulled a pair of shorts on that I found on the floor and grabbed a blank tank top off of my dresser and walked down to the mail level of the house.

"Hey." He said with that lopsided smile once I opened the door. He held out a coffee in one hand and I accepted it without a word, turning around and walking into the living room.

"You have fun with that bottle blonde last night?" I asked snidely as I sat on the couch.

"I left like ten minutes after you. Cat got sick so Andre and I took her home." He said as he sat next to me.

"Cool." I said, rolling my eyes.

"Why did you leave with Tori?" He asked incredulously, clearly irritated with him being the only one getting shit about what happened last night.

"What does it matter to you?" I asked.

"Well, you hate her for one. Two, you two practically bolted out of there. And three...you hate her." He said as he looked at me nervously.

I shrugged, "We were bored and she was sick of getting hit on by douchebags. So we came back here and passed out. I was drunk. She took advantage of my generosity. Is your curiosity sated?" I asked, finally looking at him with a cocked brow.

"I guess. So, what about us?" He looked back at me.

"What about us?"

"Are we okay?"

I rolled my eyes, "Yeah, we're fine." I glanced over to him to see a wide grin on his face as he reached over and pulled me onto his lap, kissing me soundly.

"Tori said something yesterday about all of us going over to her place today. Does that sound cool?" He asked, and the simple thought of seeing her put my pulse into overdrive. Did she still want to do that? What if last night changed everything? Oh fuck, what do I care?

"Sure." I said, dragging the word out as I climbed off of Beck's lap and stood up, "I have to shower." He nodded his head as he reached over and grabbed the remote off of the coffee table and turned on the TV, making himself comfortable. I ascended the stairs and went straight into the shower, climbing in once the water was warm. I tried washing away the thoughts of her, the feeling of her lips on mine, the way her hands moved over my body, learning every curve.

When I got out and wrapped myself in a towel, I looked at the foggy mirror at my reflection. I had one small mark on my collarbone from her. It could be so easily hidden that I didn't worry about it as I walked back into my room and dressed for the day. I grabbed my phone off of my nightstand and sent Vega a text message:

Ignoring the fact that leaving without a word was shitty enough, way to leave a cryptic message on top of it all. What could you possibly be sorry for?

I tossed my phone back on my bed as I idly paced around for a few minutes before hearing the phone vibrate.

We can talk later. You're still coming over, right?

I let out a sigh, well at least she wasn't ignoring me. That has to be something, right?

Yeah.

Grabbing my bag off of my floor, I walked out of my room and back down to the main level where Beck was sprawled on my couch.

"Sure, make yourself at home." I said sarcastically as I headed for the door. Beck scrambled to turn the TV off and followed me out the front door and to his truck. The drive to Vega's was silent as I looked out the window and he hummed to the radio. We pulled into the driveway, and as I got out of Beck's truck, I realized just how nervous I was to see her. I mean, we didn't really get the awkward morning after to help us ease through this. The anticipation was killing me.

We walked through the front door to see them all sitting in the living room watching TV. Vega's eyes snapped up to me and I noticed how as soon as it registered that Beck and I had come together, the brightness that had been in there just a moment before was gone.

"Hey guys." Andre greeted us with a smile.

Beck waved as I ignored them and walked by all of them, tossing my bag onto the couch and heading straight for the fridge.

"Oh, I should start the pizza now." I heard Vega say. I busied myself with the juice containers in her fridge as I waited for her to get close enough for us to whisper without being overheard.

"So you left." I said once she joined me.

She looked at me bashfully, "I...I didn't know what to do. I froze up. I didn't think you'd want me there when you woke up."

My eyes were emotionless as I thought about how I should react to that. How would I have behaved had I woken up with her next to me? Would I have kissed her good morning and offered to make her breakfast? Or would I have kicked her out without any kind of explanation? Would I be here right now, with Beck in the other room as my boyfriend? Or would I be at my house, breaking things off with Beck for good before coming here to try to be Vega's girlfriend? How different would things be because of a simple action?

"You didn't give me a chance." I said blandly as I moved around more cartons of juice.

"You're with Beck." She stated.

I let out a sigh as I closed the fridge door, "I know."

"Did you tell him?" She asked in a hushed voice as she scooted by me to pull a pizza from the freezer.

"No. As far as I know, we weren't together last night." I said simply.

Vega said nothing, only nodding as she slid the frozen crust into the oven. She acted as though she was going to dismiss the rest of our conversation, which was not something I was okay with.

"Vega." I said as she turned to leave. She looked back at me and I motioned for her to come closer, "Do you regret it?" I asked in a hoarse whisper as I moved my lips dangerously close to hers, thanking God for the discretion her kitchen gave. Part of me was doing this simply to mess with her, as I enjoyed the reddening of her face. Another part of me, probably the stronger part, was curious to find out the answer.

To my surprise, her lips brushed mine in a kiss as her fingers briskly slid across my hips, "No." She answered before walking back into the living room, swaying her hips. I bit down on my lip. Damn. Things just got complicated. As if they weren't already.

I walked back into the kitchen empty handed and sat in the only seat available: smack dab in the middle of Beck and Vega. Oh, the irony.


	2. Lie in the Sound

I don't know what I was thinking, agreeing to this silent contract between Vega and myself. The arrangement went as follows: when the sun disappears, so does the facade of hatred and disdain that I held for her. We wouldn't speak. Her room would be filled with loud music, songs I never would have expected her to listen to. Music ranging from heavy bass lines and shredding guitar riffs to the melodic noise of an acoustic guitar accompanied by a gravely voice with lyrics that would send shivers down my spine in addition to the things she did to my body on her own.

Our hands became so acquainted with the other's body that lights were unnecessary. When we would finish, we'd lie in the sound of the music drowning out our labored breath and any kind of questions we had about what exactly was going on between the two of us. Until the night her playlist ended and I was still in her bed.

"So, what are we doing exactly?" She asked, breaking one of the rules of our contract.

"Does it have to be anything?" I answered, folding my hands and placing them on my bare stomach.

Silence ensued my retort until I heard Vega let out a simple sigh, "I suppose not."

I looked over to her, "Really?"

She shrugged, "Why not?" I nodded my head, impressed with her ability to distance herself from whatever this could be. Not like it bothered me. I mean, I have Beck. Regardless of this little crush or infatuation I was experiencing with Vega, I still had Beck. No if and's or but's about it.

"Cool. So it's settled then. This is just...us." I said, readjusting my head to look at the ceiling.

"I heard you're helping Andre with a song." She said after another moment of silence.

I nodded, "Yup. I'm surprised he didn't ask you."

"Yeah, I kinda passed it up." She said sheepishly.

"Why?" I asked, my eyes once again gravitating to that beautiful face.

"I don't know. I figured everyone was sick of my voice by now. Besides, I'm kind of excited to hear the way your voice mixes with Andre's." She said, looking back at me with a smile. I returned her smile as my eyes passed from hers to her lips as I leaned in, kissing her gently.

"I should go." I whispered, and part of me wished she'd ask me to stay. It was futile. She would never ask me to stay. Not so long as she was my dirty little secret. I climbed out of her bed, collecting my clothing from the floor. I dressed slowly, keeping my back to her and trying to keep the chaos out of my head that was telling me I needed to get back in that bed and confess to Vega how badly I wanted to be with her. Instead, I grabbed my bag from her desk and slung it over my shoulder.

"You should go out the window." Vega suggested, and I turned to look at her. She was laying on her side, her hands tucked underneath her head as she looked at me, the bed sheet covering only up to the soft curve of her hips.

"I figured. Kind of hard to explain since that's the way I came in." I said dully and I leaned forward and placed a kiss to her lips.

"We can kiss goodbye?" She asked.

"We can do a lot of things, Vega." I said vaguely as I made my way back to the window, climbing out carefully and moving down the tree. When my boots hit the grass, I let my thoughts whirl around my head as I walked down the street to my car, strategically parked a few houses down.

I loved Beck. I did. He was everything I had ever wanted. Back then. But now I was seeing this other side of Vega, the side that was less annoying, less desperate for approval. And I wanted to be with her. At least, I thought I did. At the same time, this could be just a delusion. I want something I can't have, and as soon as it is attainable, I'll lose interest. That could be exactly what this is.

Oh Christ.

The next day, I had promised my time to Andre and met him at school in one of the recording rooms to practice the song he had written. We spent a good twenty minutes discussing the theme of the song. Torn between two evils; a worn out love and a lust engulfed in flames.

Hm. Sounds familiar.

"Andre, what the hell is this?" I asked as I read the lyrics over for the fourth time.

He shrugged, "Just an idea I had. I thought it came out pretty well. You don't like it?"

"I mean...It is good, don't get me wrong. But come on, really?" I said, looking at him with a cocked brow, hoping to indicate I was catching on to whatever he was trying to insinuate. He was Vega's best friend. The odds of her telling him were highly likely.

"Look," He said, letting out a sigh, "Beck told me about what you guys fought over before we went to the club." My eyes widened. Clearly not what I was expecting to hear.

"And?" I asked, leaning forward.

"Well, I don't wanna break the bro code, Jade." Andre replied uncomfortably.

"Oh come on, Andre. The bro code went out the window the second you wrote this song." I said as I slapped the manuscript paper onto the desk in front of me.

"You told your boyfriend you're into chicks. What would make you think he wouldn't be upset?"

I looked at him incredulously, "Are you kidding me? _That's_ what he was mad about?"

Andre blinked a few times in confusion, "Wait, you didn't know?"

"No!" I exclaimed, "We were fighting about other things that day. I didn't think the fact that I told him about me being bisexual was enough to set him off like that. God, that's ridiculous. I said I was _interested_ in girls. I'm with him. I'm not..." I trailed off, truly at a loss for words.

"I'm sorry, Jade." Andre said.

"Would you have been mad if your girlfriend told you that?" I leaned forward, interested in his answer.

Andre put his hands up in a mock surrender, "Don't put me in the middle of this." I gave him a pointed look and he let out another sigh, "I wouldn't have reacted in the way he would have. I'll leave it at that."

I took that answer as enough for me, as I changed the subject. Andre and I sat and talked for hours about absolutely everything. It turns out we have a lot more in common than I thought. We liked almost all of the same bands, had re-read the same books multiple times, and even shared a common favorite ice cream flavor. Yeah, the conversation really went all over the map. We wound up not even getting to work on the song. I guess I never realized how great of a guy Andre really was.

"So...You wanna tell me what really happened when you and Tori went back to your place after the club?" Andre said giving me a knowing look. The blush that crept across my cheeks was inevitable.

"What do you mean?" I asked as I capped the pen that was in my hand and set it down in front of me.

"Come on, Jade. Even drunk, you and Tori hardly get along. I saw the two of you dancing. I saw what you did to get that guy to leave her alone. Something's going on there." Andre said simply.

I let out a sigh, "Okay. Whatever you think happened is most likely exactly what happened."

Andre let out a whistle, "Did you tell Beck?"

"No. Honestly, I didn't think we were together at that point. I figured he was just waiting for me to leave to take that blonde back to his RV. I felt kinda bad when I found out he helped you take Cat home." I said sullenly.

"What? No he didn't." Andre said, looking at me confused.

"He didn't help you?"

"No. I mean, he helped get her to my car, but after that he left with that girl." Andre said, looking at me nervously. My shoulders slumped when he finished talking to me. Beck lied. He looked me in the eyes and lied to me about what he did.

"What the hell." I said, though my words were void of any real emotion.

"I shouldn't have said anything, I'm really sorry Jade." Andre began to apologize, along with saying a bunch of other things I wasn't paying attention to.

"Andre, stop." I said, lifting my hand to silence him, "It's fine. I mean, it isn't fine. But it isn't your fault. I...I appreciate you telling me. But you know I'm going to talk to him about this, right?"

Andre let out a sigh, "I figured. He won't be happy."

"Tell you what, I'm going to do everything I can to make sure your name stays out of this." I said as I stood and grabbed my bag.

"When can you get together again? For the song, I mean." Andre asked, leaning back in his chair at the piano.

"Day after tomorrow?" I suggested.

"If we actually get around to working on it." He said with a laugh, and if I wasn't mistaken it almost seemed flirtatious. I brushed it off. He was probably just trying to make me feel better about what I had just found out.

"Yeah. I'll talk to you later Andre." I said as I walked out of the room and made my way to my car. The drive to Beck's RV was filled with music I wasn't used to listening to. Vega had made me a mix CD of all of her favorites; the songs that would play when we were together. I tried not to take it at a sentimental value, but deep down that's exactly how I saw it.

I pulled into his driveway, parked my car and got out. My heart was pounding as I walked diligently to the door of his RV. I rapped on the door twice before calling out, "I know you're in there, Beck."

Shortly after, the door opened and Beck stood leaning in the frame, giving me that lopsided smile, "Babe, I wasn't expecting you."

"Yeah. The unexpected." I said as I walked by him and into the RV, "You know, I heard something unexpected today." I paused to gauge his reaction. His face paled and he gave me a nervous smile, "I heard that you actually didn't help Cat get home after the club that day. Yeah, crazy right? I heard that you actually took that girl back here and fucked the shit out of her. Isn't that crazy, Beck? I did not expect to find something like that out. Especially since you told me that you were taking care of Cat." I finished, surprised with my own ability to remain calm as I spoke.

"Did Andre tell you that?" Beck demanded as he shoved his hands deep in his pockets.

"Fuck who told me, Beck. That's hardly the point!"

"Look, Jade, I was pissed, all right? You had just told me that you've had sex with girls before. That's kind of a heavy thing to drop on a guy, especially when he's thought for the last two years that he was your first." Beck said defensively, though his voice was giving away the fact that he wasn't nearly as calm as he was trying to let on.

"You know what's a heavy thing to drop on a girl, Beck? A lie. Looking her in the fucking eye and lying to her." I said, my voice rising slightly.

"Really, Jade? You wanna play that card? How about you tell me again what you were doing with Tori that night? Did you fuck her? Huh?" Beck shouted at me.

"Yes, I did!" I exclaimed, trying to match him for volume.

His shoulders dropped and I could tell that he really hadn't anticipated getting that kind of answer from me, "Get out."

I looked at him with hard eyes. We were a set match for being completely out of line. Sure, he lied about taking that girl home. But I initially lied about what I had done with Vega. I knew we both needed to calm down. Anything else that would be said may damage this further beyond repair. If I wanted it to be repaired that is. I walked out of the RV and got into my car, peeling out of his driveway and speeding in the opposite direction of my house. When I reached a red light, I checked my phone for messages.

_You okay?_

Andre. Only Andre. A small smile made its way to my lips as I punched a quick reply back before continuing my drive.

_I will be._

Pulling into the familiar driveway, I parked off to the side and as I unbuckled myself, I glanced at my phone one final time before shoving it in my bag.

_I'm here for you._

I found it kind of strange that Andre was choosing my side on this. I mean, granted Beck and I are both in the wrong. But doesn't bro code kind of mean that you choose the guy over the girlfriend? Which was the exact opposite of what Andre was currently doing. But I couldn't really worry about that at this point. My heart was pounding and my palms were sweating. For all I knew, Beck and I might really be over now.

Trembling, I walked up to the front door and knocked gently. I waited a few seconds as I heard someone shout on the other side of the door. When it opened, a pair of auburn eyes were looking at me, brows knitted in confusion.

"Jade, are you okay?"

"Vega...I..."

"Come in." Vega ushered me in gently, placing her hand on my lower back. We bypassed any kind of greetings to Trina who had been sitting on the couch in the living room watching TV. She took me up to her room and when she closed the door, she turned to see me sitting at the foot of her bed.

"He knows." I said quietly.

Vega's eyes looked like they were about to burst out of her sockets, "What? What happened?"

"He lied. He wasn't helping with Cat that night. He took that girl home and fucked her. Then looked me in the eyes and lied about it. All while apologizing for getting mad at me earlier that day." I said, my eyes glued to the ground.

She took a seat next to me and as soon as I felt the mattress dip, I stood and began pacing.

"Was he mad?"

"Furious." I said simply.

"So what happens now?" She asked tentatively.

"I don't know. Wait for things to cool down. I really don't know where Beck and I stand right now. God, this is actually my fault." I said as I felt the tears welling up inside me. Vega stood and blocked off my path, gently taking my wrists in her hands to get my attention.

"No. Jade, this is not your fault. Beck blew you off the second we walked into that club, and he did it to make you feel bad. All you did was react. It might not have been in the best way, but you were provoked." Vega said, convincingly.

"It goes a little deeper than provocation. We both know that now." I said in a low voice.

She blushed slightly, "I know."

"I fucked this up, Tori. I fucked everything up." I said through bleary eyes as I watched Vega shake her head vigorously.

"Don't say that. Everything's gonna be okay, Jade. I promise."

"Tori, fix me." I begged, my voice hardly above a whisper.

Conflict shone in her eyes for a moment, before it was washed away as she leaned in to kiss me. "Maybe we can fix each other." She whispered as she continued to feather kisses on my lips, slowly guiding me backwards to her bed.

A few hours later, we were lying in her bed. This time there had been no music. Nothing to drown out the complexity of the situation we were in. We lay together with heaving chests and heavy hearts, staring up at the ceiling like we had done so many nights before.

"I'm gonna get going." I whispered, though making no move to leave.

"You can stay. If you want." Vega replied, her voice just as soft as mine.

"I...I can't. If Beck goes over to my place and I'm not there..." I started to speak, though we both winced at the thought of going back to our charade. I let out a sigh and lifted myself up, going through the same routine as always.

"How come you never let anyone see this side of you?" Vega asked as I slid my jeans up my legs.

"My naked side? Because that would make me a slut, Vega." I said with a sarcastic laugh.

"You know what I mean." She said in a serious tone. I looked at her and saw how her eyes were drowning in concern. Concern for me. That was not in the contract.

"No one else is worth it." I said simply once I was completely dressed. I walked back to her lying figure and leaned down, ghosting a kiss on her lips before pulling away and making my way to the door.

Pulling up to my empty house, I felt an equal emptiness inside of me. There was a part of me wishing that Beck wouldn't come bearing coffee and an apology in the morning. That maybe we would just throw in the towel on this one. I mean, clearly we were doing something wrong. We should not be fighting as frequently as we do. Don't get me wrong, I do enjoy a certain amount of arguing. But we surpassed that.

Then, there was another part of me that was wondering what was going on with Andre. I mean, offering me the duet, filling me in on Beck's lies. It certainly didn't seem out of character, but it did seem out of place. But maybe it was just me. Maybe I was over thinking things because for the first time in lord knows how long I was getting along with someone that wasn't Beck.

But the same goes for Vega, too. I never anticipated anything like this would be happening. She was taking my heart for a ride, that much I knew for sure. But I had no clue what her motive was. Why was she doing this? What was she getting out of it? Aside from sex, that is. It just didn't really make sense to me.

And how could we fix each other? What about Vega needed fixing?

Things were becoming far more complicated than I was equipped to deal with, and there really wasn't anything that I could do about it. I mean, I was at the mercy of these three people, all awaiting their decisions about what they were feeling.

No, fuck that. Jade West fell to the mercy of no one. That was the way it always was, and it was the way it would always be. I'd wait and see if Beck would come groveling to my front door again, and if he did, I'd hear him out. If he didn't, fuck it. Andre was a friend. Nothing more. That's the way it always was and it was the way it was going to be. Besides, a guy that amazing would be stupid to think he could change me or turn me into one of those girls. Girls like Vega. And her. Well, a new contract would have to be drafted. Things were getting personal. I was developing feelings. Feelings that I was not comfortable with having.

At this point, I had been lying on my back on my bed, staring at the ceiling with that CD Vega made me playing. My phone had been on my stomach and I felt it vibrate.

_I wish you would have stayed._

This. Just everything about this.

_Me too._

Somewhere down this road, I had developed the inability to lie to her. I was getting in over my head. That much was obvious.

**Whooo Part 2! Things are getting a little more complicated. Drop me some feedback. I was nervous about the way this story is going to play out. Chapter title is a song by Trespassers William. Cheggit! Until next time, friends.**


	3. Not Asking You to Leave

The next morning, there was a knocking on my door as I got ready for school. I opened it, expecting to see Beck bearing another empty apology. Instead, Andre was on the other side, with one hand in his pocket and a coffee in the other.

"Morning, girl." He said with a smile as he handed me the coffee.

I accepted it, looking at him skeptically, "What are you doing here?"

The smile faltered as he took his hand out of his pocket and rubbed them together, "I wanted to check on you. I didn't hear anything after you left yesterday and I was worried."

I walked away from the door and made my way into my kitchen, "Yeah. I went to Tori's." I said in a soft voice. Shit, why was I telling him that? He was friends with Beck after all. There was literally nothing keeping him from relaying everything he heard back to Beck.

"Oh. And, uh, how did that go?" Andre asked, following me into the kitchen.

"Fine, I guess." I said, shrugging.

"Did you guys...you know?" Andre asked, clearly uncomfortable with the topic, but still curious.

I let out a sigh, "Yeah."

Casting a glance over to where Andre stood, I watched as he nodded his head and looked around the kitchen for someone else to hold his attention instead of me.

"What are you doing here, Andre?" I asked again, abandoning the toast I had started to make.

"I told you-"

"No," I said, cutting him off, "I mean, why? What about all that shit you said about the bro code? Where does it say you should see your best friend's girlfriend, ex, whatever, and check on her, then inquire about the torrid love affair she's having with your other best friend?"

It was Andre's turn to sigh, "Look, you need a friend right now. Unless you'd rather me leave and you can talk to Cat or Robbie about this. I can do that." Andre said as he turned to go.

"Wait." I said before really thinking. I mean, he was right. I did need someone to talk to about everything that was going on. And like I've said before, Andre's a great guy. He spun back around and looked at me with a small smile.

"I thought you'd see things my way." He said smugly.

I rolled my eyes, smiling playfully, "Watch it, Harris. I can still kick you out."

He just laughed as he walked into the living room and sat on the couch. I followed him with my plate of buttered toast and sat next to him as we watched the local news. He leaned forward, grabbing one of the triangles of bread and taking a large bite, ignoring the irritated look he was receiving from me.

"So what does Tori think about all of this?" Andre asked through a mouthful of food.

"She's fine with it, I guess. I mean, I haven't kept her in the dark about anything. She has the choice of walking away and ending this if she chooses too." I answered honestly, surprised by how easy it was to just let everything go with Andre.

"Do you think she'd do that?"

I shrugged, "Why not? If she doesn't want to do it anymore, I'm not going to make her."

"Have you ever thought about why she'd be okay with doing this?" Andre asked carefully.

"What do you mean?" I asked, looking at him questioningly.

"Jade, do you like her?" He asked in a low voice.

My eyes widened in shock, "I...I don't think I'm ready to answer something like that."

"Did you ever think that maybe she is?"

I said nothing, only managing to shake my head.

He left shortly after that, giving me a hug and telling me that he'd see me at school and if I needed anything, he was just a phone call away. I left my house a few minutes later, the coffee he had bought in hand as I climbed in my car and made my way to school.

Beck was waiting for me in the parking lot, leaning against his truck with his bag slung over one shoulder. There were two coffees in his hands and I rolled my eyes at his predictability. I pulled into my spot and got out of my car, the coffee Andre gave me in hand as I walked up to Beck. He saw the cup I was holding and I watched as disappointment clouded that arrogance he always carried.

"Oh, I guess this was preemptive." He said, lifting up one coffee slightly, indicating it was for me.

"Suppose so." I said blandly as I started walking into school.

"Jade, wait." He called out to me, cutting off my path.

"What?"

"Can we talk?" He asked, his voice sounding urgent.

"Correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe that's exactly what we're doing right now." I said icily.

He rolled his eyes at my predictability this time before speaking, "Please, Jade. Just hear me out." He paused, waiting for me to say anything. When all I did was look at him expectantly, he started to speak rapidly, "I never should have took Tiffany home." His apology was cut off by a loud laugh coming out of my mouth at the girl's name, "It was stupid. I was mad because someone else had been with you before me. It was immature and childish. When I woke up that morning and you weren't with me, I...I felt sick. It wasn't the way things are supposed to be. I wanted to forget it ever happened. That's why I didn't tell you." He finished, looking at me with hope etching every line of his face.

I said nothing, biting down on my lip as I thought about what he said. I felt sick that morning when I woke up too. But it wasn't because he wasn't there. It was because she wasn't. But let's be honest, I can't say that. I can't say anything close to that. I took another beat of silence before speaking, "You shouldn't have lied."

"You shouldn't have lied about Tori." He countered. Clearly he wasn't only here to grovel.

My jaw clenched, "You blew me off. Did you expect me to sit idly by?"

"No. But I didn't expect you to take home one of our friends." He said in a low voice.

I shook my head, "And I didn't expect you to take home a complete stranger."

Beck let out an aggravated sigh, "We aren't getting anywhere like this. Can we both agree that we fucked up?" He looked at me eagerly waiting for my response. I nodded tersely. "Let's just move past this, okay?" He asked desperately.

I thought for a moment. He was always so desperate to have me back even though for the last two arguments, he was the instigator. He was the one egging me on, testing to see my response. He'd push my buttons just to try to reel me back in.

"Okay." I said, finally. I watched him visibly relax as he smiled at me and wrapped an arm around my shoulder as we walked into school. Thankfully he couldn't see the less-than-pleased look on my face as he opened the door and ushered me in.

Vega was already at her locker, talking tensely with Andre. Beck called over to them and waved, and I got the feeling like he was trying to show off the fact that him and I were back together. The look on Vega's face was that of disappointment and confusion while Andre looked at me with an expression that told me I should know better. We all stood around and talked as we waiting for the first bell to ring. Cat and Robbie joined us shortly after we arrived, though they were in their own animated conversation. Something about another dream Cat had and she was blaming Robbie for the outcome. When the bell finally sounded, Beck gave me a chaste kiss before heading off with Andre. Robbie and Cat walked away from us, still deeply immersed in their own conversation. So that left Vega and I to stand there uncomfortably as the hall began to clear out.

"So you guys are back together." Vega asked as both hands clung desperately to the strap on her bag.

"Yeah." I said, my voice soft.

"That's...Well..." Vega trailed off, and I could see the hurt in her eyes, despite the fact that she was obviously trying to ignore it.

"It's complicated." I finished for her, trying to reason with her without actually having to say much more.

"Trust me, I know all about complicated." She said, averting my gaze, "I should probably go."

"Hey," I said, gently reaching for her wrist before she could leave, "If you want to stop this, just tell me." I said quietly as I took a step closer to her. Conflict was heavy in her eyes as she looked up at me, "Do you want to stop this?" I asked again, my hand slowly cupping her cheek.

"No." She whispered before her eyelids fluttered shut and she lightly kissed my lips, sending a shiver down my spine. When we pulled away, she was looking at me with bleary eyes and flushed cheeks, her lips still pouting.

"Come with me." I said as I gently pulled her arm so she'd follow me into the janitor's closet. I closed the door behind her and she flicked the light on. As soon as my hand let go of the door knob, I pulled her close to me by her hips, kissing her soundly on the mouth.

"Has Beck-" She started to say in between kisses.

"Tori, please. Don't talk." I begged, shocked by my own vulnerability. She obeyed and began leading me in deep kisses. Lord knows how long we stayed in there, just kissing. But soon we were out of breath with raw lips and I realized that we'd have to get out of there before the bell rang again, just to make sure no one would see us both at the same time. I instructed Vega to leave first, which she obliged to leaving me with the phantom of her lips on mine. I, on the other hand, stayed in the closet for the rest of first period, thinking about what was going on with my head. I was sitting with my back against the locked door when I felt my phone go off.

_I need to talk to you._

Andre. Of course. He was showing up in the strangest times. But I guess that's what friends are for, right? I really wouldn't know.

_Janitor's closet._

I waiting about five minutes before I felt the knocking on the other side of the door. I stood and opened it, seeing Andre standing there, looking rather unhappy with me.

"So you guys are back together." He stated as he walked into the room.

I closed and locked the door again, "Yeah."

"Why?" He asked, looking at me with bewilderment in his eyes.

"Why not?" I retorted.

He shook his head and began pacing, "Jade, you deserve better than this."

"What are you talking about?"

"Beck's my friend, I get that. Trust me. And I know he's a good guy, but you're a great girl. He's taking you for granted. He just assumes that he can do whatever he wants and that you'll always be around. You deserve someone who isn't going to intentionally aggravate you, simply to get a rise outta you. You...You're better than that." He finished, finally ceasing his pacing and looking at me.

"Whoa, Harris. Where is all of this coming from?" I asked, looking at him with a cocked brow.

He let out a loud sigh, "I've been thinking about this for a while. Watching you two fight is frustrating. And not just because I hate people fighting. It's like, he knows all of the things that irritate you, and he does them anyway without a second thought. There's someone out there who's gonna take you for your flaws and love them, not use them for their own enjoyment."

"Are you saying I should..." I trailed off, not prepared to finish that sentence.

Andre shook his head, "I'm not saying anything, Jade. I'm just telling you that you're more than you think you are. You're amazing, and talented, and..." Andre's sentence tapered off as he looked at me with surprise, "I gotta go." He said abruptly before storming out of the closet, leaving me absolutely speechless.

I finally left the janitor's closet and went through the rest of the motions of the day in a trance. Andre showed up at my house this morning with a coffee and a promise of friendship. Beck and I got back together for the thousandth time. Vega and I had a strangely heated moment in the janitor's closet. The kissing didn't make it heated, the emotions that were bleeding off of her and onto me were heated. The need. The lust. The pain. Then, Andre comes bursting in telling me how amazing I am and how Beck isn't any good for me.

Things were just...really weird.

I backed out of hanging out with Beck after school, using the excuse of too much homework and not feeling like being around breathing people. Beck laughed and kissed my nose, telling me he understood and that I could call him if I changed my mind.

So I went home and I did my homework, that stupid CD blaring loud enough to drowned out any thoughts I might have. It was around six when I finally finished my homework, slamming the cover of my math book shut, I let out a sigh. I was lying on my bed on my stomach and I dropped my chin onto my folded hands as I finally began to run through everything Andre had said to me earlier. That is, until Vega came bursting through my bedroom door.

"What the hell?" I asked, though the venom in my voice was completely gone, replaced with utter confusion and shock.

"I have to talk to you." She said frantically as she paced around my room.

"Vega, cool it." I said as I clamored out of my bed and turned off the CD on my stereo, turning to look at her.

She said nothing. Instead, she pulled out her phone and handed it to me. A text conversation was pulled up and I read it intensely.

_We should get together tonight. I don't know what it is, but I can't get you outta my mind lately. I know I've said it before, but you are just beautiful. I know we're just friends, but I think that line can be stretched a little. ;)_

My jaw dropped. What the hell was Andre doing sending her a text like this? There were so many things wrong with it. They were best friends. Andre was supposed to be like a brother to her. Then there's the conversation him and I had earlier today. Throw that in the mix and we've got a guy unloading a lot of heavy emotions on two separate girls. Two girls that he knows are complicatedly involved.

"Holy shit." I said, handing her the phone.

"What do I even say to that?" She asked, exasperated.

"Well, do you want him?" I asked, jealousy ebbing my words.

"No! Not like that. He's like a brother to me, Jade. This is so weird!" Her voice squeaked as she spoke.

"I guess this probably is a good time to tell you he gave me a little speech about how amazing I am and how Beck isn't right for me, and that there's someone out there who knows how to treat me better." I said, looking at her intently.

"He what?" Her voice was sharp. Not like she was pissed, but as though she couldn't believe what she was hearing.

"Yeah, add that to the fact that he showed up here this morning before school with a cup of coffee for me. He's been really strange lately." I said as I sat on my bed.

She joined me in hardly a moment, and we both laid down, "This isn't the first time he's sent me a message like this. It was the night at the club, but I ignored it because I just figured he'd drank too much. Besides, I was a little busy." She said, nudging me slightly. I let out a little laugh.

"That's too weird. Did you tell him what happened that night?" I asked, curious to see if she had confided in him.

"Yeah. A few days ago. That's why this is so weird. It's like..."

"Why would he try to get with both of us? Especially since he knows about whatever it is here," I said as I motioned between the two of us, "It's like..." My voice tapered off as well, unable to form any kind of coherent sentence about what I was thinking.

"Well, we don't know that's really what he's doing." Vega reasoned.

"It sure as hell seems like it." I answered, "So what are you going to say to him?"

I looked at her and watched how she bit down on her lip. God, that was sexy, "I was going to tell him I came here."

A guffaw escaped my lips, "Yeah, give him a boner while you're at it."

She slapped me playfully, "Hey, just because we're in the same room doesn't mean we're ripping each other's clothes off."

I moaned lightly, playing with her obvious discomfort at talking about dirty things, "Graphic." I watched as a blush spread across her face as I hovered over her, "And if the two of us are left alone, that's usually exactly what happens." I said before kissing her.

She didn't kiss back. She even crossed her arms over her chest as I continued to try to get some kind of reciprocation. I pulled back and looked at her, intrigued by whatever she was trying to do. She had a determined expression on her face as she stared up at me, unfazed by my attempt.

"Oh, so that's how you're going to play it?" I asked with a devilish grin as I leaned back down, bypassing her lips and trailing open mouthed kisses down her neck. I guess she forgot that after all this time spent together, I learned her body pretty well. One bite behind her ear and she would be putty in my hand. So that's exactly what I did. She fought the moan that threatened to escape from her lips, and I was impressed with her diligence.

"I see how it's gonna be." I said as I unbuttoned her shirt, flinging the sides open when I was finished, exposing her bra-clad breast to me. I kissed almost every inch of exposed flesh, leaving her breasts untouched, knowing just how irritating she found when I'd tease her like this. I felt her body start to tremble beneath my lips and a smirk spread across my lips as I paused above the clasp of her jeans.

"Give up yet?" I asked. When she shook her head with such nonchalance I almost believed that she really wasn't into what was happening. That is, until her jeans came off and I felt exactly how badly she wanted me. I moved back up to her ear and kissed the spot right below it before whispering, "Your body betrays you, Vega." She let out a slight whimper as my leg ground into her.

It got to the point where I almost gave up, until I felt her body shaking and I knew she was close. Her hands were clutching her sides as they remained crossed over her chest. I added a little more pressure and soon her resolve gave in and her hands were knotted in my hair, tearing my mouth from her throat and kissing me feverishly. I smirked through the kiss and pulled away, removing myself completely from her grasp. She gasped and I could instantly tell she was irritated.

"You're kidding me."

"Hey, you said it yourself; we can be in a room without tearing each other's clothes off. Let's watch a movie." I said, remaining cavalier despite the fact that my eyes were devouring her almost naked body.

She glared at me with a clenched jaw as she pulled her pants back on and began buttoning her shirt back up, "I'll get you back for that, Jade."

I sat next to her on the bed, leaning close to her ear and whispering, "Oh, I'm counting on it."

So we watched a movie and just talked. Kind of like how I'd imagine friends would. I sound like I haven't had a friend in my life. That's because in all honesty, I really haven't. Besides Cat. But I've never really considered my friendship with her to be normal. That's a different story, though.

When the movie was over, Vega stood and looked like she was heading for the door, "Where are you going?" I asked from my place on the bed.

"I was gonna go home." She said, looking at me like she didn't understand why I could be confused.

"You can stay. The night. If you want, that is." I said, looking at her with such raw vulnerability that I almost regretted opening up like that. Until she smiled at me and walked back over to where I sat.

"I'll have to borrow clothes." She said. I shrugged, standing up and walking to my dresser. I pulled out a pair of sweatpants and a muscle shirt and tossed them at her.

"Here."

"And in the morning?" She asked.

"I'll take you back to your place before school." I answered simply as I crawled back in bed.

She changed and joined me back under the covers and I turned off the lamp on my nightstand. As I got comfortable, I felt her slide her arm around my waist and pull me close to her, pressing herself into my back. I let out a sigh, reveling in just how right it felt to be here like this.

"Goodnight, Jade." She whispered into my ear, kissing my shoulder.

"Goodnight, Tor." I replied before falling into a blissful sleep with a smile on my face.

**Here you crazy kids go! Lemme know your thoughts. I was also asked to release the track list of that CD Tori gave to Jade. I'm going to happily comply with the request. However, you guys will have to wait until the end of the story for it. :) Until next time, kiddos. Oh, song title is a Motion City Soundtrack song.**


	4. Always Getting What You Want

The next morning, I awoke earlier than Vega. Slipping soundlessly out of bed and down the stairs, I prepared a quick breakfast for the two of us. And by preparing a breakfast, I mean I made toaster waffles and heated up some syrup. Get real and get over any romantic notion that might have been implied. I'm not a good enough cook to try something that ballsy this early on in the game.

"Fuck." The curse slipped through my lips as I pulled one of the waffles out of the toaster, burning my finger in the process.

"You okay?" I heard a soft voice ask. I turned my head to see Vega walking down the stairs, her hair a mess and the skin of her hip showing as the shirt she had borrowed from me crawled up slightly.

"Fine." I said with a smile. A genuine one. Red lights were flashing in my mind. This was a problem. Why was I making breakfast for the girl I hated? Why had I invited her to stay the night? I suppose before either of these questions are answered, there's one that's a little more important here: Why is she standing so close to me right now?

"Breakfast? I should stay here more often." She joked, her face only inches from mine. Minty breath bated my face and suddenly I was incredibly self-conscious about the fact that I had neglected to brush my teeth before coming down. I turned my head away and looked at the plate in my hands.

"Well, I figured I'd feed you. No one can say I don't take care of my guests." I said, mildly uncomfortable with the fact that she was still so close to me.

"If you treat all of your guests the way you treat me, I might be slightly concerned." She said, accepted the plate from my hands and walking over to the kitchen table. How was this girl making me so nervous? It should be the other way around. That's the way it was. That's the way it had to be. I shook off the jitters she had given me and grabbed my own plate. I walked behind her as she took a seat in the chair and leaned close to her ear.

"You're the only one to get the special treatment, Vega." I whispered, my lips brushing against her ear. I saw her visibly shudder as I took my own seat.

We ate in silence and when we were finished, I picked up her plate and walked over, placing them both in the sink.

"Let me get ready and then I'll take you to your place so you can change." I said.

"Okay." She complied, following me back up the stairs to my room.

I showered, dressed, brushed my teeth and finished getting ready quicker than I think I ever have. I walked into my bedroom, tousling my fresh curls as I looked at her, lying on my bed, dressed in my clothes.

I let out a low whistle, "I see you helped yourself."

She sat up, "I figured it might be easier if I just borrowed something. My house is kind of out of the way." She answered innocently. I caught on to some kind of ulterior motive she had.

I shrugged casually, "Fine by me. But now we've got all this extra time." I said as I plopped onto my bed. She looked at me with a smirk as she instantly rolled onto her side, her fingers grazing my inner arm.

"I know something we could do to kill time." She said in a low voice, leaning forward slightly and giving me a view straight down the shirt she was wearing.

"Oh yeah? What's that?" I asked, licking my lips without realizing it. My eyes slid up from her chest to her eyes. Those mesmerizing copper colored eyes taking control of me. She said nothing, instead leaning in further and kissing my neck. I closed my eyes when I felt her soft lips make contact with the sensitive flesh on my throat. My neck craned, granting her more access as she moved forward and placed her hands on either side of me. The kisses turned into nips and the nips turned into bites as I felt my head loll completely back on my pillow as I reveled in the pleasure I was experiencing.

I was about to ask for more when she pulled back completely, looking at me with a playful smile as she got off my bed and grabbed her bag from the floor, "Let's grab a coffee on our way." She said.

"You little minx. You planned all of this, didn't you?" I asked from my place on my bed, my body still humming from the feeling of her teeth scraping against my skin.

"What do you mean?" She asked, looking at me innocently and bashing those thick lashes for emphasis.

"Wearing my clothes. I should've known the second I walked in here." I grumbled as I got up and grabbed my own bag from the foot of my bed. I was the first out of my room, and as soon as I heard the door click shut, I spun around on my heels, catching Vega between the door and my body.

"Jade." She said in a warning voice.

"You don't want to get into a war like this with me, Vega. I play dirty." I said, almost purring as I kissed her forcefully, my hands sliding under the shirt she had on. She let out a gasp from the contact of my cold fingers on her warm skin.

She let out a small moan, "I'm counting on it." She whispered. We made eye contact for a moment and I could feel the challenge in her eyes as I gauged her intent.

"If we don't leave now, we won't be going to school today." I said, running through all the different scenarios of what we could be doing in my mind.

"By all means, then let's go." She said in a low voice.

I matched her playful smirk as I took a step back and continued my way down the hall and out the door. We stopped for coffee on our way to school. Vega stepped in front of me while we were ordering and paid before I could even protest.

I made her breakfast, she just bought my coffee. Jesus Christ, were we fucking dating or something? When did this become okay?

We walked into the school together, after a terse conversation about whether or not it would be suspicious. I ended the conversation saying that everyone in our group already knew we fucked once, we could always say that it bloomed a friendship between the two of us. She reminded me that my excuse wasn't really a lie of any kind and an awkward silence enveloped us as I silently thought about what we could be. I could feel a similar thought going through Vega's mind as well as she looked at me with her bottom lip pulled in between her teeth.

Strange looks were shared between Cat, Robbie, and Andre, though I could see Andre's was obviously for a much different reason. I'm assuming Vega never got around to texting him last night saying she wasn't going to take him up on the offer of benefitting from their friendship. That much I was silently thankful for. I wanted to be the only one given that opportunity. Beck looked at me with disdain, as if he was conflicted about what he was really feeling. We went our separate ways to go to our lockers, meeting in the middle when we were finished.

Beck protectively slung his arm around my shoulder. That never bothered me before, but this time it just felt so heavy to me. As if that arm represented so much more than his possessiveness of me. It represented the weight of our relationship, pulling me down and confining me to a space I wasn't willing to be confined to.

Idle conversation was made as intense eye contact was shared between Andre, Beck, Vega, and myself. Cat and Robbie were completely obviously to the many story lines that were currently being constructed between the four of us.

"Hey Tor, what's up with this new style of yours?" Andre asked, sounding bemused.

Vega did a little twirl, showing off her fantastic body in my clothes. My pulse quickened at the sight of the way that shirt clung to her curves. Christ, she was such a tease. "I'm just trying out a new style. You don't like it?" She looked at all of us with a pout, her eyes lingering on mine just a moment longer.

"No, it isn't that. You look...you look great." Andre said.

"That shirt looks familiar." Beck said, examining the garment. I would bet twenty bucks he didn't catch on to the fact that it was mine.

"I like it, Tori." Cat chimed in with a smile and a giggle.

"You lookin' fine." Rex said before Robbie clasped his hand against the puppet's mouth, awkwardly spurting out an apology.

Vega's eyes turned to me expectantly. What? Like I was going to compliment her in front of everyone? People might assume us to be friends now, but I wasn't going to entice the thought. I took a sip out of my coffee cup and shrugged.

"You don't look as horrible as usual." I said casually. She didn't look hurt at all. Instead, she cocked her brow at me in a way that said_ game on_.

Moments later the bell was ringing, dismissing our conversations. The group dispersed again, leaving Vega and I alone once more in the hallway.

I took a step forward, leaning in to whisper in her ear, "You look good in my clothes. There's a lot of self control on my part to not take you right here. Could you imagine that? Tori Vega, the poster child for innocence, begging me to fuck her on school property. It's almost too much." I said seductively.

Her body was tense and I could see her chest rising and falling, "You think I'd have to beg?" She chuckled.

"You wouldn't have to. But I'd make you." I answered as I pulled back to look at her. Her cheeks were flushed and her eyes were dark.

"If we keep doing this, we'll never make it to first period." She said, taking in a shaky breath.

"Doing what?" I asked, feigning that same innocence she had this morning.

She gave me a smirk and a nod, "I'll see you later." She sauntered off to her class and my eyes were glued to the sway of her hips. When she turned the corner and cast a glance back to me, I finally unrooted myself from where I stood and went to my class.

The two periods where I shared a classroom with Vega were spent with tension thick in the air as pointed glares were thrown across the room at each other. Finally, lunch came around and I walked over to the table where Beck sat alone, waiting for everyone else. I greeted him with a kiss as he slid an arm around my waist and pulled me close.

"Why'd you come in with Tori this morning?" Beck asked, and I was instantly irritated with how accusatory his tone was.

"Good afternoon to you too." I answered as I pulled off the lid to my salad.

He leaned in and kissed me on the cheek, "Good afternoon. Now why did you come in with Tori this morning?" He asked again, his mouth close to my ear.

"She spent the night last night." I answered vaguely, trying my best to ignore how pissed he looked.

"Are you fucking-" He said before I cut him off.

"Oh fuck, Beck. Are you serious? You're gonna get mad every time I see her now? Wasn't it _you_ that wanted me to be friends with her in the first place?"

"Yeah, friends. Not fuck buddies." He answered with venom in his voice.

"One night, Beck. One drunken night does not make us fuck buddies." In reality, we were so much more than that.

"What were you doing even hanging out with her in the first place?" He spat.

"She got in a fight with her parents." I lied effortlessly.

"And the first place she thought to go was to you?" He asked incredulously.

"Beck. We're friends now. That's what friends do. Is this really going to be an issue?" I asked as I looked at him through hard eyes. We had a momentary stare down and I watched as he thought over his next action. He let out a sigh of defeat before pulling me a little closer.

"You can't blame a guy for being uneasy about something like this." He said.

"Oh my God. So I'm attracted to girls. That doesn't mean I'm going to fuck every single one that walks by me." I said, getting incredibly agitated with his behavior. He had been acting like that ever since I made the mistake of telling him.

By this time, the rest of our friends were slowly trickling in. Andre took a seat on Beck's other side, giving me a look of contempt. I couldn't tell if it was because Beck and I were arguing again, or because Vega and I had come into school together. Cat and Robbie sat next to me and moments later, Vega was sitting on the other side of Andre.

Frivolous conversation was made until Beck cleared his throat loudly, causing the exchange between myself and Andre to fall to a lull.

"Hey Tori, I never got to ask you, how was fucking my girlfriend?" Beck asked bitterly. I have never witnessed someone's jaw actually drop and right now I was looking at four of them. Vega's face paled, Andre had a look of incredible anger, and Robbie and Cat both looked like they were about to pass out.

"Beck." I said firmly, looking at him with dagger-like eyes.

"It's just a question." He brushed off my order, his eyes not leaving Vega's.

"Yeah, and if you ever want to know what having sex with me is like again, you'll retract that question and walk away right now until you calm down. Jesus fucking Christ, Beck. I wish I had never told you. I cannot believe you'd act like this." I said, my voice growing louder with each word. Beck stood, obeying my demand and I followed suit, casting Vega a look of apology as I stormed off behind my absurdly nasty boyfriend. I trailed him right into the janitor's closet, closing the door a little more forcefully than necessary as I looked at him, unbelieving to what he just did.

"What?" He asked, his voice laced with such disdain I was confused about who was mad at who at the moment. Or who had a better cause to be angry, I should say.

"What the fuck is wrong with you?" I inquired, trying my best to keep a level head. Usually it was Beck who remained cool, calm, and collected during these exchanges. Clearly that wasn't the case anymore.

"I just...Fuck!" He shouted as he paced the small distance of the closet. I gave him a moment to collect his thoughts, "Do you think it's easy for me to sit with her and act like I'm not thinking about her hands all over you?"

"And humiliating her in front of all of our friends makes you feel better?"

"You know, a few months ago you wouldn't have stopped me. You wouldn't even have batted an eyelash. Something changed between the two of you, Jade. I wanna know what it is."

"You wanna know what it was?" I asked, taking a step closer to him, "I realized I was wrong. I had no reason not to trust her. I had no reason to not like her. I was always so insecure that she'd try to steal you away from me. But then I realized she wasn't the one I should have a problem with, Beck. It's you." He looked at me with disbelief in his eyes.

"Me? I'm the one you don't trust?" He asked.

"Yes."

"You're the one that took Tori home that night. You're the one that started all of this." Beck shouted.

"No, Beck. I'm not." I said calmly, "I told you about my past and you started to get self conscious about our relationship. Or maybe it was about your ability to please a woman. Is that why you took Tiffany home? And that situation is another whole problem. You try to play that off as retaliation for me taking Vega back to my place. Don't even try to tell me you knew that her and I were going to have sex. You were planning on taking that girl home regardless of whether or not I was going home alone. Because that's what you do. You find something that I'm insecure about and you exploit it." I finished, remaining stoic.

"What are you talking about?" Beck asked, and for a moment I truly believed him to be completely clueless. But there was something in his eyes. A nervous twitch.

"This is what you do, Beck. You start fights, but you do it when no one is around, so then people only see my reaction and assume I'm overreacting. Poor Beck is getting bullied by Jade again. Then you come slinking around a day later with a coffee and some bullshit apology. Three times in under a month have you done this. Three times in three weeks, Beck. I can't...I can't keep doing this." I said, shaking my head.

"You're not breaking up with me." He stated. That irritated me in a whole new way. Like he was so certain that I wasn't strong enough to walk away from this.

"I am, Beck. I'm done." I said, my voice strong as I turned to leave.

"So what are you gonna do? Go fuck Tori some more?" Beck baited me.

"Maybe. But I'm going to do it because I want to. Not because you're trying to antagonize me into it. That's the difference between us, Beck. I don't need you to define me like you need me. You're gonna act like you don't, but you do. I know you do." I said, turning again. His laugh faltered my steps as my hand clasped the doorknob tightly.

"You keep telling yourself that, Jade. Convince yourself that this is my fault. That I'm the one exploiting people. What do you think you're doing with Tori? I'd like to see you try to convince yourself that this little thing with her is nothing more than an experiment. You'll get bored. Toss her to the side. This is just what you do. You think you can always get whatever it is you want. Right now, that's Tori. We'll see how long that'll last for. You'll come crawling back to me." He said arrogantly.

"Don't hold your breath." I said over my shoulder as I walked out of the closet.

I didn't go back to lunch. Instead, I left. I drove back to my house, stormed inside and locked myself in my room. I laid there for what seemed like hours, Vega's CD blaring as I thought about what had just happened. I should be feeling a lot of things right now. Pain from breaking up with my boyfriend of over two years. Confusion from the things he had said before I left. Maybe even a little excitement at the fact that Vega didn't have to be my dirty little secret anymore. But instead, I felt nothing. Empty. Void of anything I could really explain.

A knock on my door broke me from my self-pitying thoughts. For a moment, I considered ignoring it, but for some reason I found myself rolling out of bed and opening the door to see Andre standing there, looking at me intently.

"I heard you broke up with him." He said, inviting himself into my room.

"Yeah." I said blandly, taking my place back on my bed as I watched him walk around.

"Good for you." He said.

"What's wrong?" I asked as he continued his pacing.

"Nothing. Why would you ask that?"

I raised my brow, "Well, aside from the fact that you're about to wear a hole in my floor?"

He ceased his movement and looked at me with a small smile, "Nervous habit."

"What do you have to be nervous about?" I asked, bringing my knees up to my chest and hugging my arms around them.

"I'm in a room with a beautiful girl who just recently became single." Andre said smoothly.

Holy shit. Way to drop something heavy like that on an unsuspecting girl. My expression must have gave away my shock because his pacing ensued and soon I was completely bewildered as to what he was trying to do. Just last night he was sending Vega messages trying to get her to hook up with him and here he is, giving me his very best attempt at flattery.

"Andre." I said softly, trying to think of a way to let him down easy. If Beck and I were over for good, the first person I wanted to pursue anything with would be Vega. And that wouldn't be for a while.

"Look, I know it just happened. But I just get this feeling like we'd be perfect together. I literally would make an ass out of myself if I told you just how amazing I think you are. I've never clicked with anyone like this before. Nothing has felt more natural to me." Andre said, and I was taken aback by just how passionate he sounded. Passionate. About his feelings for me. What the fuck.

"Andre." I said again, really struggling for better words. I found myself standing only a few inches away from him.

"You don't have to say anything. Just," He said, pausing as he leaned in, cupping my face and gently placing a kiss on my lips. I did nothing. I was completely frozen in shock by what had just happened. He pulled away and looked at me, appraising my reaction.

"I should..."

"Go." I finished for him.

"Yeah. I uh...Right." He stammered before exiting from the door he so recently came through.

What the hell had just happened? Wasn't Andre supposed to be Beck's best friend? Why was he confessing this undying love for me, yet trying to sleep with Vega at the same time? Jesus Christ. My life is a joke. That's the only logical conclusion I can come to. Someone out there is having a good fucking laugh at what an unbelievable mess my life is.

I pulled my phone out of my pocket, punched in a quick message and tossed in on my bed as I began pacing, much like Andre just had.

_Come over now._

My hands were constantly running though my hair as I thought about what was going on.

_Are you okay?_

Leave it to Vega.

_Come. Over._

I was hoping she would catch on to my urgency with that message.

_On my way._

Eighteen minutes and forty-three seconds. That's how long it took her to get to my house. I don't know why I kept track of the time. But the minute she walked into my room, she saw the alarm in my eyes and grabbed me by the shoulders to stop my frantic movements.

"I'm sorry about what Beck said today." I blurted out.

She looked at me skeptically, "Is that why I'm here?"

"Wha-No. Wait, you're not mad?" I asked, disbelieving that she would actually be unbothered by what happened.

"Not really. I was kind of anticipating something like that." Vega shrugged.

"Oh. Okay." I said, some of my frantic energy seeping out of me as she started to slowly rub my arms.

"Now tell me why I'm here." She said softly.

"Andre just came over and kissed me." I said. Her eyes grew wide, much like mine when the incident happened.

"He _what_?"

"He came over. Told me that he basically thinks I'm Aphrodite or something. And then he kissed me." I said, my sentences becoming more fragmented.

"What did you do?" Vega asked curiously.

"I told him to leave." I said. "Was I not supposed to?"

Vega looked at me bewildered, "I don't know exactly what the protocol is for when your ex boyfriend's best friend confesses his feelings and then kisses you only hours after your break up."

I nodded, "Comforting."

Time found us lying in my bed, bouncing off theories about Andre's peculiar behavior. So far we thought that maybe an alien abducted the real Andre and this is just some clone, or Andre is going through some kind of mid-high school career crisis. Neither were very comforting or believable. So we were brought back to square one.

"It's just...I don't get how he could do that to me." Vega said after a lull in our conversation spanned over five minutes.

"Do what?" I asked, looking over to her.

She was fidgeting. Her right hand picking at the pinky nail on her left hand, "I told him about us. You know, post-club us. I just needed some un-biased input. I might have mentioned some feelings that match his pretty closely." She said sheepishly.

My pulse was kicked into over drive. Was Vega confessing her feelings to me now? Jesus Christ, was this Tell-Jade-You-Love-Her-Day or something?

"What are you saying?" I asked in a soft voice.

She took a deep breath and let it out slowly, "I...I like you, Jade. I don't know why. But I do." She said, finally chancing a glance in my direction. I said nothing, instead leaning in and kissing her soundly.

"Stay." I whispered when we finally pulled away.

"I brought a bag this time." She said with a small smile. "Just in case."

We kissed a little more and I was lost in the thought that she actually had feelings for me. Feelings that weren't disgust or contempt. When we finally detached ourselves from each other and got ready for bed, I turned to look at her. She was fidgeting again.

"What's wrong?" I asked, concern knitting my brows.

"I can't...I can't commit to you, Jade." She said, her voice shaking.

"What?" Was she breaking up with me before we were even anything?

"It's just...things are so messy right now. With Beck and Andre. I just don't think it's a good idea for us to come out right away." She explained.

"Well, I mean...I kind of figured." I said with a small laugh.

"I just...I don't think it's wise to label this right now."

"I don't think it would be either." I said, confused as to why she thought it necessary to beat this fact into the ground.

Our awkward moment was disrupted as both of our phones vibrated. We grabbed them respectively, "Andre." We both said. Looking up at each other we exchanged phones to read what had been sent to the other.

_I am so sorry. That was messed up. This is what you do to me. Anything rational is shot to hell the second I see you. I'm not expecting anything from you. I just would have exploded if I kept this in any longer._

Vega looked at me with a raised brow as I glanced down to the screen of her phone:

_God, you looked so hot today. Dress like that more often. It suits you._

"Well, he's right about one thing. You did look hot today." I said jokingly. She rolled her eyes and handed me my phone again. "Have I told you that you look good in my clothes?" I asked as I tossed both of the phones in my hand onto my bed.

"I think you might have mentioned it." She said with a smile as I wrapped my arms around her waist.

"Have I told you that I think you'd look even better out of them?" I asked, raising a brow suggestively. She laughed before sliding her hands up the back of my neck.

"You're ridiculous." She said as she leaned in, kissing me soundly on the mouth.

"Stop talking." I said in between kisses as I pulled her onto my bed and on top of me. The tension of our previous conversations dissipated as clothes were shed and hands roamed the plains of bodies. Unanswered questions as well as unasked questions lingered in the air before being drowned out by pleasured noises and some rather loud curse words courtesy of Vega.

Things were complicated. They were always going to be complicated if it involved Tori Vega and myself. But that could be dealt with at a later time.

**Here you guys go! Feedback is always appreciated. I've got an idea of where the story is going, but I'm interested in hearing what you guys are thinking about it so far. Until next time. :) Chapter title is by Circa Survive**


	5. The Mess I Made

The days following the break up were strange. But that's to be expected. I guess what wasn't expected was the fact that I didn't feel burdened by this sadness of losing something I once held so dear. Beck stopped sitting with us at lunch. He pretty much stopped hanging out with us all together. I guess I don't blame him. I mean, I wouldn't want to hang out with my ex and one of my friends if I knew they had slept together and probably were still sleeping together.

Speaking of that, things between myself and Vega were a little off ever since that night. She didn't want to label it, and I was more than fine with that. The last thing I wanted to do was jump headfirst into something we weren't ready for. Apparently not labeling it meant going back to the way we were before that night at the club. We hardly spoke. I couldn't even get her to look at me at school. And outside of school, well that was an entirely different situation. She would come over late at night, claiming me as hers with harsh bites against porcelain flesh in the moonlight, and then leave right after without a single utterance.

So for a while, I started doing little things for her. Things that no one else would have caught on to. I would get to school early, before any of our friends were there, break into her locker and place a cup of coffee inside. Then, I'd retreat back to my locker and wait. The first day that I did this, the smile that was on her face warmed my heart. She looked directly at me with an appreciative smile as she lifted the cup to me and gave me a small nod and took a drink.

Even when we stopped talking, I continued to leave her coffee, and she continued to smile to herself when she'd open her locker. It was complicated. It was frustrating. I wanted nothing more than to be able to storm right up to her and kiss her in front of everyone, letting every single person know that she was mine. But I couldn't do that. She didn't want that.

About a month after Beck and I broke up, I had been sitting in my living room trying to do homework when there was a knock at the door. Reluctantly, I got up and answered it, surprised by who I saw.

"Beck." I said in shock.

"Jade." He said, leaning against the door frame. He looked worse for wear. His hair was a mess and there were deep circles around his eyes.

"You look like shit." I said simply, remaining my composure.

"I feel worse." He replied, looking at me with such agony, I felt it pulling at my heart.

"What are you doing here?" I asked, crossing my arms and looking at him with a raised brow.

"I need to talk to you." He said before walking by me and into my house.

"Sure. Come on in." I said sarcastically as I closed the door to see him standing in the center of my living room.

"I messed up. You were right, about everything you said. I don't know what came over me. I was completely out of line with Tori. I've been terrible to you. I didn't treat you the way you deserve. I took you for granted and I took advantage of you. I get it if you don't want me back, I do. But I'm going to change. I swear to you. I will be the kind of man that deserves someone like you." I don't know what it was, but there was something about the way he was talking that was ripping me apart inside. My heart heaved with anguish as thoughts of how we used to be started trickling into my mind. This was the boy I fell in love with.

I took a few steps towards him, closing the distance between us and cupping his face in my hands, "Beck."

His hands held my wrists as he gently rubbed the skin there, "I need you, Jade." He said, tears welling in his eyes.

There was something so compelling in his eyes, I felt like I was hypnotized. So I kissed him. I angled my head upwards and kissed those lips that I kissed so many times before. We pulled away, looking at each other so intently, I could feel my heart swelling.

"Come on." I said quietly, pulling him up to my bedroom. Once we were in my bedroom, he held me close, kissing me soundly as his hands wandered over my body. I was taken aback by how little I felt from this action. Replace Beck with Tori and every one of my senses would be on fire right now. But I couldn't stop myself. I pulled his jacket off of his shoulders, discarding it to the floor as he gently pulled my shirt over my head. His shirt soon followed suit as he picked me up and carried me to my bed, gently placing me on top of my comforter. His lips passed down my neck as my hands tangled in his hair. He was never one for foreplay, always too impatient, so I wasn't very surprised when he pulled away from me to strip me of my jeans and panties. Soon his pants and boxers were discarded as well as I fumbled in my nightstand for that square of aluminum, tossing it at him.

When he first started, I hissed and winced in pain, not use to this kind of contact. He ignored it, continuing his movements regardless of what I was feeling. He flipped us over so I was on top, and knowing how to make quick work of him, I did just that. His grip on my hips tightened as he grunted with closed eyes. When they shot back open and his hips raised off the bed, I dug my nails into his shoulders, my own gaze hard on his.

"Tell me you love me." I ordered, my chest heaving.

"I love you, Jade." He said. There it was. The emptiness in his voice stirring something deep inside me. That smile didn't meet his eyes. Somewhere along the road, we lost that spark. So what was I doing taking him back like that? I slid myself off of him and sat at the edge of my bed.

"I'm gonna get going." He said, and I hadn't even realized that he was now standing, jumping into his pants.

"Fine." I said simply. He kissed me on the cheek and was out the door as he slid his jacket back on.

What just happened? What the hell was I doing? Why would I take him back after everything he did to me? Seriously, was I out of my mind? I had to be. I had to be certifiably insane. I spent the rest of my night lying on my bed, disgusted with myself and my actions of the day. I welcomed sleep at an early hour, ignoring any messages that were blinking on the screen of my phone.

The hold this boy had on me was almost unnerving.

The next morning, I stood at my locker, anxiety brewing in my gut as I saw her walk in. She flounced up to her locker and opened it. The way her face fell when there was no coffee inside shattered my heart. I tore my eyes away from her before she could look at me, staring intently at the contents of my locker. Beck came strolling in at the most imperfect time, wrapping an arm around my waist and kissing my cheek. I threw a glance over to Vega to see the heartbroken look in her eyes. Andre came up behind her, looking at me with disbelief and anguish on his face. He shook his head, placing a comforting hand on Vega's lower back as they walked away down the hall, not even bothering to say hello.

Beck snickered as they passed by us and I looked at him, "What was that about?"

"Did you see how sour Tori looked?" He asked with a smile. Bile was stinging the back of my throat. I said nothing. Instead, rolling my eyes and walking away from him off to my morning class.

During the study hall period that I shared with Vega, I did everything I could to get her attention without raising the alert of anyone else. My whispers went unanswered, so I began crumpling up little balls of paper and tossing them at her. I missed about four times. The one that finally bounced off her nose and onto her lap caused her to look up and glare at me.

"Open it." I mouthed to her, indicating to the paper. She flatted out the paper, and I watched as her eyes scanned what I had wrote. She rolled her eyes and let out a sigh.

She rose her hand to get the teacher's attention, "Excuse me, I'm not feeling too well. Can I go to the nurse?" She asked, ever so polite.

The teacher nodded, dismissing her as he returned to reading his newspaper.

I waiting about a minute before standing and walking over to his desk, "I'm going to the bathroom." I said, not bothering to word it as a question. He grunted and nodded, and I walked out of the room, heading straight for the janitor's closet.

She was waiting for me. Leaning against the wall opposite the door with her arms crossed over her chest.

"Hey." I said sheepishly.

"I can't believe you. I really can't." She said, and I could hear her voice waver.

"Tori, please."

"No Jade. I knew you were going to go back to him. That little show you put on at lunch that day, protecting me like you actually cared? That was...that was really convincing. This is exactly why I didn't want to label anything. So when you two got back together, I wouldn't look like the idiot that thought you really cared. It wouldn't hurt as bad losing you." She said, and I could see the tears welling in her eyes.

"You didn't lose me, Tori." I said, taking a step forward and reaching out for her hand.

She retracted herself away from me a little more, "You're right. I didn't. You were never mine to begin with. I was stupid to believe it would ever be different." She looked at me for a moment, giving me a look of contempt before brushing by me and heading for the door. I stayed rooted where I was. I couldn't move. I couldn't speak. It was pathetic, really.

"I need you..." She trailed off, and for a moment I thought that was all she was going to say. Hope swelled in my chest as I finally managed to turn around to see her standing in front of the door, her grip on the handle so tight her knuckles were white. She let out a staggered breath before speaking again, "I need you to not be around me for a while."

Panic set in and I realized that I might have ruined this. Whatever this was.

"Tori, you don't mean that." I reasoned with her.

"I do, Jade. I just...I can't do this anymore." She said before exiting the closet, leaving me standing in the middle of that cramped space, the weight of everything weighing on me.

I didn't know what to do. There was no way I could stay for the rest of the day. Not after what had just happened. I would give her exactly what she wanted. I would stay away from her, as best as I could. If that's what she needed. I could do that for her. Even if it killed me.

Once I left the janitor's closet, I walked right out of the building and to my car. I drove for a while with no real destination until I made the decision of going to that little café where I always got mine and Vega's coffee before everything went to Hell.

I walked in, giving my best attempt at a smile to the older lady behind the counter. She was incredibly sweet, and although that would normally irritate me beyond belief, with her it did nothing but comfort me.

"Hey there, honey. I didn't see you this morning." She said as she paused from wiping down the counter and looking at me with warm eyes.

I let out a sigh, "Yeah, it's been a rough day." I said simply, averting my gaze away from a look that had me melting and wanting to tell her everything that was wrong.

"Trouble in paradise?" She asked as she walked over to the coffee pot, filling a large styrofoam cup with the heavenly liquid.

"What?" I asked, slightly taken aback.

She gave me a knowing smile, "That pretty brunette you came in with a few weeks ago. You've been coming in here for at least two years, Jade. You're one of the few regulars I have that makes a fuss when someone tries to buy your coffee for you. Remember that young gentleman last Christmas that tried to pay for you? You almost dumped your coffee right onto his shoes. Now this girl, she slipped in front of you and you didn't even say a word. Then you come in every day and order two coffees with this little smile on your face. If I didn't know any better, I'd say you might be in love." She said with a smirk as she handed me the coffee.

My cheeks were red hot. Was it that obvious? I mean, this woman saw Vega and I together one time and she pretty much already picked out our wedding theme. Christ. This was a lost worse than I thought.

"I mean. I don't really. Well." I said, my sentences coming out as fragments before I gave up and let out a sigh, "It's really complicated, Mary. I think I messed it up and lost her." I said as I dug in my bag for my cash.

"Don't even bother with that money, Jade. It's on the house. You need that coffee more than I need that buck-fifty." She waved off my money with a wag of her finger. I rolled my eyes and smiled as she continued talking, "With the way that girl looked at you, I highly doubt she's gone. Now, I don't know all the details, and I'm sure you don't want to be telling some old lady that owns a coffee shop all about your problems, but give it time. Love prevails. That's why there's so many stories about it." She said, giving me a wink.

"Are you sure it isn't because it's such a fantastical notion we make the stories up so we can romanticize about things that will never happen?" I asked cynically. She gave me a cross look before standing up straight and crossing her arms.

"Have you ever been in love, Jade?" She asked.

I thought for a moment. You know, a few months ago I would have scoffed and told her to piss off. All while thinking about how much I love Beck. But now? Now I was questioning everything. The things Vega made me feel were entirely different from what Beck had made me feel. But maybe that doesn't mean that I wasn't in love with Beck. It just means somewhere along the road, our love turned into an obligation. We fell into a habit. Like taking the lint out of the lint trap in the dryer, or putting your seatbelt on. It was safe, routined. I started craving something else. Like running the risk of starting a fire or going headfirst through the windshield. Vega, surprisingly, was giving me that.

"Maybe once." I finally answered Mary in a soft voice.

"I don't really have much advice to give you, Jade. Just don't give up if you love her. You'll wind up regretting it for the rest of your life." She gave me another small smile before continuing to clean up the coffee machines. I let out a sigh before I pulled out a ten dollar bill and stuffed it into the tip jar.

Mary began scolding me, but as I made my way to the back corner of the coffee shop, I shouted over my shoulder, "It isn't for the coffee. It's for the advice."

I sat in my corner booth, my coffee in my hands as I stared at the black liquid rippling slightly every time I tapped the edge. How did I let myself get to this point? It was so much easier when I kept my feelings for her underneath my sarcasm and catty remarks. And now? All I can think about is how badly I want her as my phone buzzes in my pocket, a futile attempt to veer my train of thought away from her. A text from Beck saying he missed me at lunch and how he can't wait to see me tonight. Guilt and frustration cascaded over my body. What the fuck. I'm not supposed to feel like this. I'm not supposed to believe that I absolutely adore this girl. That I could be what she needs so badly. That I could fix whatever she feels is broken.

My phone buzzed again and I looked at the screen, hoping for it to be Vega, but knowing that the chance of that is slim to none.

_You leave school early?_

Of course Andre noticed I left. He probably talked to Vega already.

_Yup._

I sat there as I thought about what was going on between the two of them. Hey, with me out of the picture, maybe she could actually take the time to see if there was something between her and Andre. The thought alone makes me feel sick.

_Where are you?_

I bit my lip, wondering if I wanted company right now. Especially Andre. His motives were still unclear. That conversation we had at my place that morning springs into my mind. He did say we were friends. Lord knows I could use just that right now.

_Coffee shop two blocks down from school._

I put my phone back on the table and stared into my cup again. It was about ten minutes before I heard the bell chime above the door. Andre walked in, looking around for me and once he spotted me, he made a bee line for my table.

"What are you thinking?" He asked harshly as he slid into the bench across from me.

"I'm a fucking moron." I said sullenly.

"Yeah. You are. What exactly do you think you're doing? Why would you take him back? I heard about how you stood up for yourself. You called him out on all of his shit. Just to take him back? This is exactly what I was talking about, Jade." He said in a scornful tone.

"You don't think I know that? Look Andre, with all due respect, you have no fucking clue what kind of situation I'm in right now. Beck and I have been together for a long fucking time. It isn't easy to just walk away from that." I said.

"But walking away from Tori is easy? You're just going to throw that away?" Andre asked incredulously.

"I'm not throwing anything away. I'm doing exactly what she wanted. She didn't want a label. She told me she couldn't commit to me, Andre. How am I supposed to take that?" I asked as tears started to threaten my normally stoic demeanor.

"You're supposed to convince her that you're different from who she thinks you might be." Andre said simply, his voice suddenly calm.

"I guess I wasn't." I said quietly, feeling the weight of everything that had happened in the last twenty four hours heavily on my shoulders.

"Maybe not. Then again, maybe Tori isn't right for you after all." He said with a shrug.

"What?"

"She gave up on you. She's just walking away. I thought she at least woulda put up a fight. Tried telling you what she really felt about you or something."

"So Beck isn't good enough for me, and now Tori isn't enough either? Jesus Christ, Andre, will anyone live up to your standards?" I asked skeptically, growing irritated with the way he was cutting Vega down so easily.

He shrugged, "I don't know. I'm not really impressed with anyone yet." He said smoothly as he got up from the bench, "But I gotta split. I'll see you later. We still gotta work on that duet."

I said nothing. Only nodding my understanding curtly as he turned to leave. Fuck, I was pissed. Who did he think he was? He was right about Beck. That much I could give him without a doubt. But Vega. That situation was so much more complex, I didn't even understand it completely. She has every right to act the way she has been. And he has no clue what he's talking about. Was he just trying to play the Devil's Advocate? Or was there something more here that I was missing?

I needed another opinion. Someone who wasn't directly involved in the situation. Cat. Christ, I couldn't believe it was coming down to this, but I really had no other choice. I picked up my phone and dialed her number.

"Jade!" She cooed in her airy voice.

"Cat, what are you doing right now?" I asked, taking a sip of my now lukewarm coffee.

"Sitting at my house." She said with a giggle.

"I'm coming over." I stated, standing from my table and heading towards the door.

"Yay!" She cheered before hanging up the phone without saying anything else. A typical conversation with Cat. I waved to Mary as I walked out of the shop and headed to my car. I drove quickly to Cat's place, needing to get all of this off of my chest. As soon as I parked my car in her driveway, I hopped out and walked swiftly up her front steps and into her house. She had been sitting on the couch in the living room waiting for me.

"Cat. I've got a problem. Well, I've got a lot of them actually." I said before I began pacing in front of her. I first told her about that night at the club, that fight with Beck, and Andre's peculiar behavior. Then came the silent contract between myself and Vega, then the break up with Beck, the breaking into Vega's locker, and finally what had happened today.

"Wait, so you like Tori?" Cat asked, looking at me with wide eyes, clearly confused by what she had just heard.

I let out a sigh, "Yeah."

"Well...isn't that kind of like cheating on Beck?" She asked quietly.

"Well, yes. I know. I'm no saint here, Cat." I said sharply, shaking my head at her peculiar choice of topic of concern.

"So the problem is that you're not in love with Beck. You might be in love with Tori. Andre has a crush on you, but he's trying to sleep with Tori." Cat said slowly, trying to draw out a visual map in the air of all of the crossing situations.

I nodded, "Something like that."

She pressed her fingers to her temples and closed her eyes, "Ouch."

We sat in silence for a moment and I was beginning to wonder if coming here was worth it. She hadn't said anything for more than five minutes. Looking at her hands as the sat wringing in her lap. And then it hit me. She knew more than she was letting on.

"Cat..." I said in a warning tone. She squeaked and looked at me through wide eyes. Busted.

"I don't know anything!" She squealed, throwing her hands in the air.

"Cat, did Tori talk to you?" I asked.

"Maybe." She said looking away from me.

"What did she say?" I asked intently.

"Don't ask me that!"

"Cat." I said, my tone slightly harsher. She squealed again and looked at me with a pout. Her eyes softened when she saw the pain clearly evident on my face.

"She's in love with you." Cat whispered. My eyes grew wide. There was no way. Cat must have misheard her. This was impossible.

"You're lying."

Cat shook her head, "She told me she didn't know if she was just confused after the club, but as soon as Andre started hitting on her, she knew. You know she used to like him? So when he finally started showing an interest in her, she said all she could think about was how she wished it was you saying those things to her. She's pretty upset that you and Beck are back together."

"Wait, she used to like Andre?" I asked. Cat nodded her head. Well, this whole Andre coming out of nowhere makes a little more sense. If he knew, maybe he felt threatened by me. That still doesn't account for him confessing his undying love for me at the most inopportune moments. Unless he just liked having Vega as a security blanket.

"Are you happy, Jade?" Cat asked, her voice soft as she looked at me through those puppy eyes.

"No. I don't think I've been happy for a while." I answered, my voice equally as soft.

"Change that. Do what's gonna make you happy." Cat pleaded. I looked at her and nodded my head slightly before standing and heading towards the door.

"Beck's coming over soon. I should go." I said as I clasped the doorknob.

"You should tell Tori. Eventually." Cat said.

"I don't think she wants to hear from me any time soon."

"Still. It's always worth a shot." Cat said. I turned around and gave her a smile of understanding and appreciation before leaving and driving back to my house. I was only in my room for a short ten minutes before Beck walked in the door.

"Hey." He said, kissing me on the cheek as he sat on my bed. Something about his demeanor caught me off guard.

"What's wrong?" I asked.

"Why would you think something's wrong?" He asked after letting out an uncomfortable laugh.

"I've known you for a long time, Beck. I can tell when something's up." I said, crossing my arms and leaning back against my dresser.

"I just...Do you ever get the feeling that maybe we're together for the sake of being together? Like, whatever was drawing us to each other before is just gone?" He asked, looking at me intently.

I took a moment to listen to what he was saying. I mean, he was right. I was obviously feeling those same things for a while. But he was just telling me how much he needed me. Literally less than twenty four hours ago.

"You know, this sounds like the preface to a break up." I said tentatively, looking at him through narrowed eyes. He let out a sigh before looking at his feet sheepishly, "Oh my God." I gave a soft chuckle in disbelief, "Because it is. Are you...Are you breaking up with me?" I asked incredulously.

"Look, Jade, it's for the best."

"What the fuck, it's for the best? Beck you just came crawling here begging for me to take you back. And now, what? You've just changed your mind? What the hell kind of bull shit is that?"

"I was wrong, okay?" He shouted, "I thought things were going to be different, but they aren't. I...I hated the thought of someone else having you." He said, looking shamefully to the ground.

"So you begged for me to take you back because you knew you could get me to believe you really loved me. And now Vega will never believe a fucking thing that comes out of my mouth." I said softly, looking at Beck in disbelief. It was almost like he had it planned. "Did you do this on purpose?" I asked, my voice quiet. Beck kept his eyes away from mine and I took a step closer to him, "Did you do this on purpose?" I repeated, louder this time.

"What do you expect? My girlfriend fell in love with another girl! While she was still with me." Beck shouted, finally having the guts to look me in the eye.

"Get out. Get the fuck out of my house." I said, taking a step back and pointing to the door. He didn't try to say anything else. He stood and walked out of my room with his head slung down and his tail in between his legs. As soon as I heard his truck start outside, I sat on my bed and put my head in my hands.

Fuck.

Why? Why did I take him back? I know how I come off to people. Like I'm heartless and don't give a shit about anything. But, I don't really think that's true. If it were, I never would have taken Beck back that night after the club. I would have been able to stick to my ground. But I couldn't. Somehow over the course of the last two years, Beck somehow convinced me that I needed him in order to be who I was. I needed to have Beck Oliver at my hip in order for me to be Jade West. Now I know that isn't true.

I just had to hope that it wasn't too late, and that I'd be able to explain myself to Vega enough for her to understand. If she'd even hear anything I have to say.

**This chapter felt kind of dry to me, and I apologize. I promise in the next one Andre's motives will be revealed! I'd love to hear what you guys are thinking so far. The chapter title is from a song by Parachute. Until next time! And happy holidays!**


	6. From Here, Downhill

The day after mine and Beck's final break up, the coffees started to reappear inside Vega's locker. I watched as a small smirk broke on her face as she picked up the coffee and drank it. She stared into her locker for a moment before a hard expression overcame that smile. Anger flashed next as she gripped the cup and stormed over to me.

"Jade." She said as she approached me. I looked at her with slightly wide eyes, surprised that she was choosing to confront me in public about my little gifts.

"Tori." I said, drawing her name out slowly.

"I don't want this." She stated, holding out the coffee.

"Why is that my problem?" I asked with crossed arms and a raised brow.

"You know damn well why this is your problem. How would Beck feel if he knew you were doing something like this?" She asked, looking at me intently.

I rolled my eyes and leaned into my closed locker, "He wouldn't give a fuck because we broke up last night."

Her eyes narrowed as she clearly appraised my intent, "What a surprise. Jade West not knowing what she wants." She said snidely.

My jaw dropped slightly as my posture stiffened, "You know damn well that wasn't what was going on." I said, my voice low.

"Do I? No, I don't Jade. How the hell could I when you didn't even talk to me about it. One day, we're doing whatever it was that we were doing, and the next you come in with Beck slung around your shoulders like I never even mattered." Vega said through clenched teeth, tears welling in her eyes.

"What is it exactly that we were doing, Vega? Last I checked, I wasn't your girlfriend at the time. You did a damn good job at making sure I understood that." I growled.

Things were getting out of hand. If this went on much longer, we'd most likely be screaming at each other in the middle of a crowded hallway and someone would have to intervene. So I grabbed her by the wrist and dragged her into the janitor's closet. She protested, trying to free herself from my grasp to no avail.

When I closed and locked the door behind me, I turned to look at a seething Vega.

"Listen to me, okay? Beck and I are nothing. Nothing. He came over crying about how much he missed me and how he wanted to change, but it was bull shit. All he really wanted to do was make sure you and I wouldn't be together. I made a mistake in taking him back, and that's something I'll live with forever if you can't forgive me." I said as I struggled with keeping my voice calm.

"What reason do I have for forgiving you?" Vega asked, crossing her arms and leaning back into the wall.

"None. You have absolutely no reason. And I wouldn't blame you if you told me to fuck off right now. I just...I'm hoping you can see how sorry I am, and that I'm telling you the truth." I said as tears threatened to spill out of my eyes.

Vega looked at me for a long while before doing anything. Finally, she let out a sigh and shook her head, "I'm sorry, Jade. I can't..." She trailed off.

"You can't what?" I pressed, my voice cracking.

"I can't keep doing this. I can't keep hoping I'm your first choice while worrying that I'm most likely your second. You know, there's a point where the disappointment isn't worth the chance that you might be wrong. After that first night when I saw you two come in together, I thought that was the end of whatever you and I were. But then you came back. You kept coming back. And then you guys broke up, and you came to me so convincing that you and Beck would never get back together. I made the mistake of believing you." Vega said, the sound of defeat clouding her voice as she brushed by me and made her way for the door.

"Tori, stop." I said, reaching for her hand and turning her to face me. I crushed my lips to hers with a bruising force, slowly backing her up into the door. I anticipated her pushing me away and probably slapping me clean across the face. Instead, her hands were knotted in the front of my shirt, pulling me closer to her as she kissed me fiercely.

When we pulled away, another sigh escaped those perfect lips as one tear fell from her eye. I wiped it away with the pad of my thumb as she shook her head, "Please don't call me, Jade." She said before walking out of the closet, leaving me there shattered.

I sat on the floor for my entire first period, wondering why I hadn't gotten in trouble for skipping class. The worry was wiped away as I thought about the fact that I had lost Tori Vega. I had her in my hand and I lost her. Actually, I guess you could say I threw her away.

While wallowing in self-pity, my phone buzzed on the concrete next to my feet. I lifted it up and looked at the screen. Andre.

_Skipping class again?_

I scoffed and rolled my eyes.

_What do you care?_

Before I could even set my phone down, it lit up with another message.

_I heard about what happened with Beck. And Tori. Where are you?_

_Why do you wanna know? Gonna try to kiss me again?_

I set my phone back down, slightly regretting being so snippy with Andre. But I was pissed and confused. What kind of game was this kid playing at? I sat there for a moment before someone was jiggling the doorknob. I stayed put, not really bothering to open it. If it was the janitor, he had a fucking key. He's caught me in here far more than once to know how things went.

_Open the door, Jade._

I let out a dramatic groan, hoping Andre could hear it from the other side of the door as I stood and unlocked in. He walked in, looking at me tentatively. Clearly trying to gauge my mood to see if he needed to hide any breakable objects.

"You okay?" He asked calmly.

"What the fuck do you think?" I snapped, turning my back to him.

"Tori's pretty upset." Andre said.

"Really? I had no idea." I said sarcastically.

I heard Andre let out a sigh as he waited a moment before speaking again, "So you and Beck are done for good?"

"For fucking good." I said.

"So what are you going to do now?"

I turned to face him, "Whatever it takes to get Tori back."

"What do you have planned?" He asked, rubbing his hands together.

I sighed hopelessly, "I haven't figured that out yet."

Andre looked at me for a moment, "Jade, have you thought that maybe it isn't worth it?"

"That what isn't worth it?"

"Fighting for Tori. I mean, she walked away from you. Twice now. Why are you doing this to yourself?" Andre asked as looked at me with confusion in his eyes.

I blinked a few times as I looked at him shocked, "Because I think I love her." I said, my voice soft.

Andre rolled his eyes, "You know, she isn't as great as everyone thinks she is." He grumbled.

"Excuse me?"

"She doesn't have much depth to her. Not the way you do. You're so much better than her." Andre said, taking a step towards me and rubbing my arms.

"What are you playing at, Andre?" I asked as I looked at him skeptically.

"You deserve better than what she's giving you. I'm just waiting for you to realize that." Andre said simply.

"Please, don't try to kiss me again." I said in an attempt to be comical. Luckily for me, Andre caught on to my humor and let out a little laugh.

Andre nodded, "We gotta get to class. You can't keep skipping. The last thing you need is the school getting on your case too." Andre said in a comforting manner before pulling me in for a warm hug.

"Thanks Andre." I said quietly.

"Any time, girl. Now let's get out there." He said before ushering me out of the janitor's closet and back into the real world.

The rest of the day went by uneventful. Most likely because I wasn't paying attention to anything. Lunch was incredibly awkward. Beck, Vega, and myself all remaining completely silent as we ate our lunches without doing so much as casting anyone a glance. When the day was over, I was more than happy as I walked out of the building and got into my car. I wasn't really ready to go to my empty house to do my homework, so I drove over to the coffee shop and walked in, smiling and waving to Mary behind the counter.

"Welcome back, Jade. How did it go this morning?" She asked with a warm smile.

I shook my head, "Not so well. She told me she doesn't want to hear from me any time soon."

Mary pouted, "I'm so sorry." She paused from speaking, her lips forming a thin line as she looked at me thoughtfully for a moment, "Jade, if you don't mind me asking, what exactly happened between the two of you?"

I let out a sigh as she handed me a coffee, "I fu- I messed up. I believed someone I shouldn't have and now she doesn't trust me." I leaned on the counter, shaking my head as Mary watched me with her eyes knit in frustration.

"This wouldn't have anything to do with that boy you used to see?" She asked. I looked at her, taken aback that she had known so much about me without my realizing.

"Wha-How did you know?" I asked. She shrugged her shoulders.

"You're a regular, Jade. And while you two were together, so was he. He still comes in every now and again. Moping about. I think he's hoping that you might come in."

I rolled my eyes, "Yeah, well the next time I see him outside of school, he'll be hoping that he hadn't seen me."

Mary looked at me sympathetically, "Maybe you should go and try to talk to her again." Mary suggested.

"She made it perfectly clear that she wants nothing to do with me." I said with a cynical laugh.

"Yeah, well maybe what she wants isn't what she needs." Mary said, looking at me with a pointed look.

"And what exactly am I supposed to say?"

"The truth. How you really feel. Why do I have the feeling that during all of this, you haven't once told her what you feel for her?" Mary asked with a knowing look.

I slumped down slightly, "Because I haven't."

"Go." Mary politely ordered me with that motherly smile I had never been given by my own. I gave her a smile and threw down a five dollar bill onto the counter before heading out the door with my coffee in hand.

I was going to tell her how I felt. I was going to go over to her house, waltz right into the front door, and tell her that I was absolutely crazy about her. That'll do it. I can't believe I never told her that. Why had that never been an option before?

I drove to her house in a speedy fashion, pulling into the driveway and parking abruptly. I sat for a moment, trying to calm my raging heart. The anticipation of what I was about to do was finally getting to me. Taking another deep breath, I unbuckled myself and got out of my car. My palms were sweating as I approached her front door, and with one final inhale and exhale, I opened her front door, reclaiming my confident demeanor.

"Tori, I need to..." I had started, though the sight in front of me froze me solid.

I was currently looking at Vega wrapped up in Andre's arms, his mouth claiming hers in a fashion much like I had earlier that day. They sprang apart from each other, and aside from the shock the three of us held, I noticed Vega look at me as though she was trying to construct some kind of explanation for the spectacle I had just witnessed.

"Jade, I can explain." She said, breathlessly.

"Uh. Nope. No, that's really not necessary." I said uncomfortably, feeling my cheeks blush as I looked bashfully to the ground. "Well, fuck this." I finally said before running out of the house and getting into my car and speeding off.

Andre wanted Tori for himself. He wanted me out of the way so that he could have her without any kind of interference. Fuck, how blind was I to think it had anything to do with me. The only involvement I had was as a nuisance to what Andre really wanted. But what the hell was with the way he was bashing on her earlier? That just doesn't make sense. And Tori. All that bull about how Andre was like a brother to her and that she would never like him like that.

I was such an idiot.

I stormed into my house, slamming the door and running up to the sanctuary of my bedroom. Instinctively, I punched the power button on my stereo and to my displeasure, the CD Vega had made me started to play very loudly. I picked up a water glass on my night stand and threw it across my room, shattering it against the wall. I sat on the floor with my back to my bed as I ran my hand through my hair. I couldn't believe I had truly thought she liked me. I couldn't believe I fooled myself into thinking Andre was really my friend. I was such an idiot.

As I sat there not having the energy to bother changing the damn CD, I heard my phone buzz. I pulled it out of my pocket and looked at the screen.

_I swear it wasn't what it looked like._

Andre. Boy, did I have a few choice words I'd like to share with that kid.

_Didn't mean to cockblock you._

_Jade, open your door._

_Fuck off, Andre._

I punched in that final message, powered my phone off, and tossed it onto the floor. I closed my eyes and leaned my head back against my bed as I tried to steady my breathing and stop myself from crying. A few minutes later, there was a tapping at my window. My eyes shot open and I jumped up, looking to see what the offending noise was.

Andre sat perched on the tree that was directly across from my bedroom window. He waved to me bashfully, and then motioned for me to come forward. I rolled my eyes as I walked over to the window and opened it.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" I asked, crossing my arms as I looked at him with hard eyes.

"I wanted to explain." Andre said as he moved forward and climbed into my room.

"Explain what? Explain how despite the fact that you've been confessing your feelings for me and bashing everything I like about Tori, you decide to turn around and kiss her? What was that bull shit you told me about us being friends? I'm sorry, when was the last time a friend turned around and shoved their tongue down their friend's person of interest? Because you've done it twice, Andre. To Beck, and to me."

Andre looked at me sullenly, like a dog with its tail between its legs. He began his frantic pacing as I took a seat on my bed.

"It wasn't anything like that. It was...I was trying to get her to come here to talk to you. I was trying to show her that you're what she wants." Andre explained frantically.

I looked at him with disbelief, "And shoving your tongue down her throat was the convincing she needed?"

"It wasn't my best idea. I just thought that maybe if someone kissed her that she didn't have feelings for, she'd realize that...that it should be you." Andre said, looking at me with desperation in his eyes.

"And how do you explain the text messages Vega got from you? Telling her how hot she is and how badly you want her?" I asked, calling him out for all of the shady things he had been doing. Andre looked at me as if he were shocked I would know those things.

"I guess it makes sense that she would tell you that. Look, I did have something for Tori. A long time ago. I just...I don't know. I guess I got mad when I saw her taking an interest in you. I thought that if you and Beck broke up, you'd see how much better together you and I would be. But instead of that, you were falling for Tori. It just didn't make sense to me. You guys have nothing in common."

"Maybe that's why it works. We balance each other out. Sure, Vega's irritating most of the time, but some times she's the kindest person I've ever met. With the most beautiful smile and the biggest heart." I said, stopping myself when I realized how corny I sounded.

Andre looked at me with sad eyes, "You really love her."

I nodded, keeping my eyes low, "I do, Andre."

He let out a sigh as he took a seat next to my bed, "I was being a jackass, Jade. I didn't know what I wanted, but I knew I didn't anyone to have you until I figured that out."

I shook my head, "You sound a lot like Beck right now."

He shrugged shamefully, "I guess we had similar motives."

"You should go." I said quietly.

"Don't you want to hear what Tori had to say?" Andre asked.

"Honestly, not really. Not unless it's coming from her." I said, moving away from him.

"I'm sorry, Jade. I've been a shitty friend. You deserve better than me, too."

"You're probably right." I answered. Andre nodded and got off of my bed, walking out of my bedroom door with his head hung low.

I laid in my bed with that CD on loop until I fell asleep. Though it didn't feel like that lasted long. I awoke with a start, looking frantically around my dark room. I had heard knocking coming from my front door. I stood up, rubbing the sleep from my eyes and walking out of my room and down my stairs. The knocking persisted until I opened the door.

"Jesus Christ, I hear you!" I said loudly as I swung the door opened and looked at the person responsible for my disturbance.

Tori Vega stood on my doorstep, her arms wrapped tightly around her waist much like that night at the club when I saved her from that loser. She looked at me with bleary eyes, her lower lip pulled in between her teeth.

"What are you doing here?" I asked, hoping my excitement was hidden by my groggy frustration.

"I...I just..." She stammered. She stopped her attempts to talk before anything coherent could come out. We looked at each other, tension thick in the air and the next thing I knew her mouth was covering mine. My hands clung to her waist desperately as our lips moved together in a dance I had missed so badly. I pulled her into my house, closing the door and pushing her up against it. She let out a soft moan as I removed my mouth from hers and trailed it down the long expanse of her throat, nipping and biting every so often. Her hands were tangled in my hair and I felt her hips push into mine, begging for more contact.

"Upstairs." I said as I pulled away from her completely, ushering her up to my bedroom as I followed close behind. Once the door was closed, I turned her around and pushed her down onto my bed. I kissed her soundly as we scooted up so her head was resting on my pillows. Her shirt was removed hastily and her bra soon followed. My own clothing began to join the pile at the foot of my bed. I took my time worshiping the perfect olive toned skin before tugging her jeans down her long legs. I trailed a series of bites along her panty line before discarding the blue lace she had been wearing.

Not knowing when I'd get the chance to do this again, I did my best to make it last as long as possible. I placed kisses down each of her thighs and slowly back up again. I could feel her impatience as her hips moved up whenever I got near my final destination. I had to fight the smile as I placed one gentle kiss right below her navel. She let out an animalistic growl, and I knew I had tortured her long enough.

The surprised gasp she released when I began was more than enough to make me instantly quicken my pace. She let out a series of high pitched moans as her hands tightened their grip in my hair causing me to let out a guttural moan against her. Moments later I was coaxing her through her climax as her body hummed and twitched with pleasure. Her chest was heaving as I moved back up to kiss her.

"Jade." She said in a breathy moan.

"I'm right here, babe." I said as I pulled my comforter over her quivering body. I held her close to me, reveling in the feeling of her sliding her arm around my waist and burying her face in my neck. I fell asleep shortly after, a blissful smile gracing my face.

Though I woke to an empty bed and an aching heart. She left no note this time. No apology for her abrupt departure, and I began to wonder if the previous night even happened. I knew it did, the hickey gracing my collar bone assured me of that, but I thought that if I could convince myself I had merely dreamt it, the thought that she had left me again would hurt less.

That wasn't the case.

**Well, here you go kiddies. It's a little messy. Feedback is always appreciated. Chapter title is a song by Corey Crowder. Until next time!**


	7. Everything I Once Had

When I walked into school that morning, I saw her and before I could think about what I was doing, I waltzed right up to her and closed her locker, putting myself between her and the metal. She looked at me with a conflicted glare of anxiety and guilt.

"You left." I said as I stared at her through hard eyes.

"Please don't do this now." She said quietly, glancing around to see if anyone was paying attention.

"You weren't saying that last night." I said snidely with a sick smirk. She blushed violently and I chuckled, "So what was last night, then? I stopped Andre from getting your rocks off, so you came to me to finish the job?" I asked maliciously.

"Jade, you know very well that isn't what that was." She said to me.

"Then what was it, Tori? You can't just tell me to leave you alone and then come over to fuck me and then leave." I said, my voice breaking slightly.

"I told you to leave me alone and you came to me anyway." Vega said in a clipped voice.

"I came to tell you I love you. I guess it would have been a waste either way." I said, giving her one last look coated with disdain as I walked away. I ignored her calling back to me as I made my way out of the school. I took refuge in my car as I did my best to fight the tears that were threatening to spill out. I turned my car on to listen to music and as soon as Vega's CD started playing, I punched the eject button and tossed the disc into my backseat, too frustrated to bother with anything that was related to that girl. I brought my hands down onto the steering wheel in frustration. There was a tapping on my window that broke me from my thoughts as I jumped and looked to see who was responsible.

"Beck." I grumbled as I rolled my window down. He looked at me with that boyish smile and waved.

"Whatcha doin?" He asked playfully.

"Oh you know, just hanging out." I said sarcastically.

"Mind if I join?"

"Why would you want to?" I asked with narrowed eyes.

"I was a shitty boyfriend. I wanna redeem myself as your friend." He said so genuinely it caught me off guard. I looked at him for another moment before nodding my head to my passenger seat. I rolled my window back up as Beck walked around my car and got in.

"So..." I said casually.

"I, uh, I know you slept with Tori while we were together." Beck blurted out, looking hard at his hands clasped in his lap. A violent blush crept across my cheeks. Well, this isn't how I had anticipated this conversation going.

"Beck, I..."

"No, you don't have to explain. We were over a long time ago, Jade. Long before. We just didn't want to admit it. You weren't the only one unfaithful..." He said, trailing off and looking at me apologetically.

"In our defense, I could probably count the number of times we've had sex in the last two months on one hand." I said in an attempt to lighten the mood. We shared an awkward laugh before Beck looked at me again.

"So what happened?"

"I...I fell in love with her. But she wasn't ready to be with me. Or something like that. Then you and I got back together that last time and..."

"Yeah, I'm really sorry about that. That was probably the..."

"Shittiest thing anyone has ever done?" I finished his sentence for him. He nodded shamefully and looked at his lap again.

"Yeah, well. It takes two to tango. You weren't the only one fucking up there. I never should have taken your homeless looking ass back." I said. He looked at me with mock hurt on his face as we shared another laugh.

"I'd be offended if you hadn't been with my homeless looking ass for the last two and a half years." He said with a coy smile, "So is that the whole story?"

"Nope. I went to her house last night to tell her how I felt." I said quietly.

Beck looked at me, clearly surprised by the fact that I would be the one openly confessing feelings first, "Did she turn you down?"

I scoffed and shook my head, looking down into my lap as I spoke, "I didn't even have a chance to say anything. I walked in on her playing tonsil hockey with Andre."

Beck's eyes were almost popping out of his head as he looked at me with pure disbelief, "Tori kissing Andre? Are you sure it wasn't the other way around?"

I looked at him in confusion, "What difference does it make?"

Beck leaned in, as if anyone would hear us from the confines of my car, "Jade, Tori's gay. Like, straight up only into chicks. You didn't know that?" He asked with narrowed eyes.

"No. I just figured...I don't know, that it didn't matter. You know, gender and shit."

Beck chuckled, "Not everyone has a fluid sexuality like you. I just can't believe you didn't know that already. I mean, you're the one sleeping with her." Beck said humorously.

"Okay, we've established the fact that I had no clue that Tori Vega is a big lesbian. If that's the case, then..."

"Maybe she wasn't the one initiating the kissing. Did you talk to her about what happened? Or did you pull a Jade and run out the front door before anything could be said?" He asked, giving me a knowing look.

I rolled my eyes, "The latter."

"So what's the problem? Why don't you just go back and talk to her about it?"

"Because she came over last night, fucked me, and was gone before I woke up, Beck. That's why! I have never felt so used before." I said as a sob choked me up from saying anything else. Beck gently placed a hand on my arm and slowly began rubbing circles with his thumb.

"Let's get out of here, Jade." Beck said, looking at me with warm eyes. I nodded my head before turning the engine over and driving out of the school parking lot.

"I can't believe I haven't gotten in trouble for how much I skip." I commented as I drove down to the beach.

"Yeah, I've been meaning to talk to you about that. I can't keep forging doctor's notes forever." Beck said off-handedly as he looked out the window.

"You what?"

Beck shrugged, "I may have slipped in a couple notes in here and there."

"Why would you do that?" I asked as I parked my car in the parking lot by the beach.

"You were hurting. I was the cause most of the time. I didn't know how to talk to you yet, so I figured I'd do whatever I could." Beck answered me simply as we got out of my car and made our way towards the water. I nodded my head, remaining silent as I thought about the fact that regardless of the fact that I had hated the thought of Beck still breathing, he had been doing me huge favors without my knowledge.

"So." I said, finally breaking my silence as we sat by the water's edge.

"So. You haven't bothered to talk to Tori about what happened last night?" Beck asked.

"Yeah I have. I-"

"Went into school, called her out, and stormed out? Jade, I was right there watching. You didn't even give her a chance." Beck reasoned. I looked at him with hard eyes as I thought about what I was going to say.

"I don't think I could stand the thought of her...using me, Beck. I would rather live the rest of my life not knowing what last night was than to hear that." I said as I stared out at the expanse of water before us.

"That has to be the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard you say." Beck said sardonically. I looked at him, waiting for him to expand on his thought, "You know it's bull shit, Jade. It will drive you mad if you walk away right now without finding out what she was thinking."

"What could she possibly have to say to make this okay?" I asked, yet again trying my best to fight back the tears.

"I don't know, Jade. But it's always worth hearing her out." Beck reasoned.

"So, now what? We go back to school, I pull Vega out of class and confess my undying love for her, yet again might I add, and sit back smiling while she tells me what exactly she was doing with Andre's tongue in her mouth and then coming over to nail and bail?" I asked sarcastically.

"Yeah. That sounds about right." Beck said with that playful smile I adored over the years. And suddenly I hated myself even more, and I wonder if he could sense it. Sense the shift in my mood as I sat silent for a moment longer. "Come on, Jade. Don't beat yourself up about us anymore. We weren't meant to be. We were great, but..."

"Were being the key word." I said with a sad smile.

"We can still be great." He said with a grin.

"Great friends." I said, looking at him with a more genuine smile.

"Great friends." He repeated. We bumped knuckles and shared a small laugh. Beck leaned in to me and nodded to my car, "Come on. Let's help you get the girl." He got to his feet and then helped me to mine after receiving a short nod from me. We drove back to school and I thought about everything Beck and I used to be. He was right, we were great. But we had long passed our mayday, and now we had to move beyond that. I had a feeling we could do so fabulously.

We walked into school just as what I had assumed to be third period ended. Unfortunately, that meant Vega would be exiting her classroom which was right by the front entrance. The universe has it out to get me. That much I know for sure. Because right as Beck and I walked into the building, laughing at some lame joke he had just told, she was walking out of class. She took one look at us and disdain dripped from her very being. She stopped short of her route to her locker and high tailed it in the other direction. Beck and I looked at each other, clearly understanding what must be going through her head at that moment.

"Go." Beck ordered, nodding towards the retreated Vega.

"Vega!" I shouted as I jogged towards her.

"Save it, Jade. You know, you have got to be the best actress I've ever met. You almost had me this morning. You really did." Vega said as she laughed in an acerbic way.

"Oh fuck, Vega. You're kidding me, right? Beck and I are friends. You know what? I give up." I said loudly, throwing my hands up dramatically as I stopped following her. Thankfully, she stopped retreating as well.

"You what?" She asked, disbelief coating her words.

"I give up." I exclaimed. "Isn't that what you wanted?"

She looked at me with surprise in her eyes as she took a few tentative steps forward, "What I wanted? I wanted you, Jade. You. But how am I supposed to compete with Beck or Andre or every other guy that just adores the ground you walk on?"

"Beck and Andre never stood a chance against you, Vega. I don't know how many times I'll have to explain it to you. But I'll tell you every day if that's what it takes. Beck is the past." I stated firmly.

"What if I can't live up to everything you had with him?" She asked desolately.

I closed the small gap between the two of us and held her face between my hands, "You have nothing to worry about. I...I want this. I want us." I said, my eyes passing feverishly between hers. "Let's get out of here."

Her eyes held so many conflicting emotions, I almost told her to forget it. That is, until she leaned in and ghosted a feather light kiss on my lips.

"I really shouldn't." She whispered. My heart faltered and for a moment I thought that was going to be it. She kissed me once more, "But...I think we have to."

I nodded slowly, but thought for a moment about the predicament I was in, "After school. I've uh...skipped too much lately." I said with a small laugh.

"Jade West caring about missing school? Pinch me, I'm dreaming." She said, and I noted a bit of humor in her voice. I moved my hand down to her butt and pinched. She winced and jumped back, looking at me with wide eyes.

"Just doing as I'm told." I said with a devious smirk before turning around and walking away. I looked over my shoulder as Vega continued to look at me with disbelief, "I'll see you after school, kid."

I walked into my next class with a small smirk on my face as I took my seat. Moments later, Andre was joining me and I was nervous about how I was going to respond to this. I looked at him out of my peripheral vision. He looked twice as nervous as I was feeling. So I let out a sigh and looked at him full on.

"Sup." I said casually.

"Jade...I..." He sputtered.

"Forget it." I said, waving off whatever kind of apology he was going to give me. I shrugged when his expression went from anxious to confused, "We're working on it." I said vaguely.

"You and Tori?"

"Me and Tori. Tori and I. It has a nice ring to it, doesn't it?" I asked with this stupid grin on my face that I couldn't get rid of if my life depended on it.

"Well, damn. You look happy." Andre said, a smile playing on his own lips.

"I am. I really am." I said, my voice soft.

"Good. You know, it wasn't fair of me. To try to tell you what's gonna make you happy. I really am sorry about that."

"I know, Andre." I nodded, reaching over and patting him on the arm gently, "I appreciate it."

"So...We never finished that duet." Andre said casually, though passing me a sly smirk.

I laughed, "Of course, Harris. Lemme figure out this shit with Vega. Get a solid hold of it. And then I'll be all yours. Musically, I mean." I added. We shared a laugh and then class begun.

The rest of the day seemed to fly by, thank God. The thought of taking Vega back to my place and finally getting to talk to her about everything that's been going on in my mind was just was just driving me nuts. And maybe there was the hope that we'd get our shit together and perhaps a little nailing without the bailing.

Hey, I have raging hormones. You can't blame me.

When the final bell rang, I practically ran to my locker. I dug out the books I'd need for the night and just as I was shutting my locker, Vega had appeared next to it.

"Hey." She said with a shy smile.

"Hi." I replied, feeling equally as shy.

"Your place?"

I said nothing. Instead, I gave her a smirk and a nod as I ushered her out of the building and to my car. We drove in silence, the radio humming in the background. Until she broke the silence.

"My CD..." She said quietly, trailing off. Her question didn't need to be completed. I knew what she was getting at. She had been in my car plenty of times to know that her CD hadn't left the player longer than the time it took to put it in my stereo in my room.

"Yeah...It's uh...somewhere in the back." I answered, feeling slightly awkward.

She laughed lightly and nodded, indicating her understanding about the situation, "I probably would have burned it if I were you."

"Thank God you aren't." I said sarcastically. She gave me a pointed look before we both shared a small laugh, "Besides, the music was growing on me." I said with a shrug. Her smile widened as we found ourselves pulling into my driveway. We walked into the empty house and headed straight for my bedroom. I closed the door behind us and turned to look at her. She stood dangerously close to me and I could feel her breath on my cheek.

"You won't leave, will you?" I asked, my vulnerability getting the best of me.

She cupped my face gently as she kissed me soundly on the mouth, "No." She whispered.

I pulled her in closely, our lips moving together languorously as her hands slid down my sides, resting on my hips. The kisses slowly bled into something much more passionate as her nails began to dig into my skin and my teeth pulled at her lower lip. Her mouth moved from mine to my neck as she bit down.

"Oh God, Tori." I said, breathlessly. I felt her moan against my skin as she pushed me further into my room, knocking me onto my bed. I let out a gasp of surprise as she climbed onto me, her hand on my hip to keep me in place. The kisses were sharp and quick as her hands pulled my shirt over my head and her fingers nimbly undid the button on my jeans, tugging them down my legs and tossing them over my legs.

"You have got to be the most gorgeous sight I've ever laid eyes on." She whispered lustfully as she moved over me, capturing my lips in a heated kiss as her hands continued the path they had made so many times in the past. The rest of my clothing were discarded and I stopped her from going any further. She looked at me with alarm in her eyes and I leaned forward, slowly unbuttoning her flannel and taking immense joy out of the way her eyes darkened at my action. Her clothes made a pile next to my bed and we were a set match.

Our bodies moved together in a harmony I couldn't even imagine composing on my own. I come off like a crash of symbols and untuned strings. A mess, really. Very little of what's truly inside actually comes out as a melody. I'm a writer. I use written words to express my emotions. And this girl. She had morphed me from a poet to an orator, all with a simple touch.

What seemed like hours later, we lay in a mass of limbs and labored breaths.

"What happened with you and Beck?" She asked, her voice soft and quiet. I got the feeling she didn't want to ask that question, but the need for the answer was stronger than the fear she felt.

"We fell out of love." I answered simply.

"Aren't you...aren't you afraid of that happening again?"

"It only happens if you let it." I answered, hating how cold my voice sounded.

"But what if it does?" Her voice was hardly above a whisper at this point. I didn't know what to say to that. I had nothing in my arsenal to give to her. I disentangled myself from her body and climbed out of bed. I was standing, completely naked, as I set my hands on my dresser, leaning down and shutting my eyes.

She was right. I was absolutely terrified of that happening. Giving myself up to someone for them to take me while they want me, then toss me aside when they were done. It was exactly how I felt the previous night.

"Why do you think I got so bent over last night?" I asked, my voice growing as soft as hers.

"I didn't want to be a rebound, Jade."

I slammed my fist into the wood I was hovering over, "There was nothing to rebound from, Tori. If you can't understand that, then maybe this isn't worth my time." I growled.

I kept my back to her as I thought long and hard about how mistaken I was to have said what just spilled from my mouth. I knew she was crying without even having to look at her. She was doing her very best, no doubt, to stifle the sobs. And it was at that moment that I was absolutely sick of whatever bull shit this had become. There was no Beck. No Andre. There was nothing. Nothing but her. I didn't want to play the disinterested bitch who couldn't be touched. I had been touched. I had been kissed. I had been scarred. All by her. I had spent so much of my energy trying to steel myself away from the situation, but it was pointless. She had my heart. Every piece of it. No matter what.

My decision had been made. I bolted back into that bed, cupping her face gently in my hands as I kissed away the tears that stained that perfect face.

"I...I didn't mean it. I swear. This is worth every second of my time, Tori. I just, I can't stand the thought of you thinking I don't want this. Want you." I said desperately.

She kissed me slowly. It lasted a long time and I enjoyed the comforting feeling of the passion she held. We pulled away for a moment and I looked at those auburn eyes.

"Let me fix you." I whispered, pulling her in again and kissing her soundly.

Sure, Beck was everything I once had. But Tori is everything I could ever want. Tori is everything I need.

**Wellllll here you go. Apologies for the delay. Drop some feedback, it's always appreciated! Until next time, kids. Chapter title is a song by The Honorary Title**


	8. She Changes Your Mind

The next morning, after slowly waking up, I bolted upright in my bed, frantically looking around for Vega. She was gone. Mother fuck. My chest tightened with a rather distasteful combination of regret, disappointment, and rejection. Things really never would change between the two of us. I sat at the edge of my bed and ran a hand through my hair, shaking my head and willing the tears away.

"What's wrong?" A familiar voice broke me from my thoughts and my head snapped up to my doorway. There Vega stood, clad in her underwear and one of my shirts, holding two cups of what I hoped to be coffee. I said nothing, my mouth agape as I stared at the sight before me. She was beautiful in the morning. I felt tears welling in my eyes at the thought of her actually staying. "Hey, you didn't think I left, did you?" Vega asked, her voice soft as she set the two mugs down on my dresser and closed the distance between us. She straddled me and slid her hands up the back of my neck.

"You can't blame a girl for being scared..." I whispered, avoiding looking at her directly in the eyes.

"Look at me." She murmured as she cupped my face. My eyes slid slowly to hers and the compassion I found took my breath away, "I told you, I'm not going anywhere."

We shared a smile before she leaned in and kissed me. I held onto her tightly, as if despite her promise to stay, I was still terrified that she was dissipate in my arms. When we pulled away, Vega climbed off of my lap and went to retrieve the forgotten mugs of coffee. She handed me mine and sat next to me, tracing the rim of her cup with her finger.

"What's wrong?" I asked, noting the look of worry that was gracing that beautiful face.

"I don't want to upset you." She said vaguely. The troubled expression on her face bled into my gut as I thought about all of the things she could do that would upset me. This was just like the last time. We make promises to each other, and then she gets cold feet.

"Don't worry about that. Just tell me what's wrong." I urged as I placed a gentle hand on her arm.

"I just...I don't think I'm ready to tell people yet." She answered in a small voice.

"What?" I asked skeptically. There really wasn't much left as a secret anymore. All of our friends knew we had slept together. Knew we had feelings for each other. "What are you afraid of, Vega?" I hated how accusatory my question came out.

"People's reactions." She spoke feebly.

"You know, the majority of our friends already know."

"Yeah, but my family doesn't! And then there's your family. And everyone else in the world." Vega said desperately. I did nothing but shake my head and look away from her at that point. I had nothing to say. When my silence lapsed over a few minutes, she let out a sigh and finished the remainder of her coffee, "I'm gonna go."

"Of course you are." I said under my breath.

She let out a groan as she stripped herself of my shirt. I watched her as she bent down and picked up her bra and studied the way the muscles of her back rippled as she clothed herself. As she buttoned up her shirt, she finally casted an unpleasant look my way, "What do you want from me, Jade?"

I looked at her with a cold stare, "Nothing. I don't want anything from you."

Vega let out a sigh of defeat as she walked over to where I sat and leaned in to kiss me. I turned my head and after her lips made contact with my cheek, she pulled back and whispered into my ear, "I'm sorry, Jade."

I said nothing as she walked out of my room. I glanced back to the clock on my nightstand. It was six. I had to get ready for school. When I was ready to leave, I opened my door I was met face to face with Andre.

"Morning, girl." He said with that crooked grin of his as he handed me a cup of coffee.

"What are you doing here?" I asked skeptically as I accepted the coffee from him.

"I just wanted to see how things went last night." Andre playfully nudged me as we walked towards the driveway.

I let out a sigh and Andre's humorous attitude faded as he looked at me intensely, "She left. Again." I said after taking a long drink from the coffee in my hand.

"Aw man, Jade. I'm sorry. What happened?"

"We had sex and she promised she wouldn't leave. She promised, Andre." I looked at him in anguish.

"She was gone when you woke up again?" Disbelief coated Andre's voice.

"No, no. She was here this morning. But she doesn't want to be with me." I said, feeling the weight of just how badly that hurt me.

"She came over, had sex with you, spent the night, then woke up and told you she didn't want to be with you? Damn. That's cold." Andre shook his head.

"Well, she didn't say it."

Andre narrowed his eyes, "Then what did she say?"

"She told me she wasn't ready to tell people. She's afraid of how our families are going to react. And people in general." I griped.

Andre let out a short laugh, "Jade, that doesn't sound like she doesn't want to be with you. It just sounds like she's afraid."

"So what am I supposed to do about that?"

"Change her mind." Andre said simply, looking at me intently.

"And just how am I supposed to that?"

"Show her she's got nothing to be afraid of. It'll be easier than you think. She's scared about her family's reaction. So find out what it'll be." Andre suggested.

"Oh no. No way. That sounds a lot like a suggestion of talking to Trina." I shook my head.

"That sounds exactly like a suggestion of talking to Trina." Andre reiterated. I thought for a moment before looking at him with hard eyes and getting into my car. I watched as he got into his own, noting the smile that was on his face as he pulled out of my driveway and drove off in the direction of school. Reluctantly, I followed. He was right. Talking to Trina actually wasn't that bad of an idea. Well, it was a terrible idea, but if it meant picking her brain to see how the Vega family would react to finding out sweet Victoria had a thing for me, I'd do it.

I pulled into the parking lot and got out of my car with my bag slung over my shoulder and a coffee in hand. The gods must have been smiling down on me because just as I walked into the building, my path crossed with none other than Trina Vega.

"Trina." I called out. She froze and turned to me apprehensively.

"Jade." She said, giving me the once-over.

"I have to talk to you." I said once we were close enough that I didn't have to shout.

"I can't. I heard there's going to be a talent scout here for the musical!" She said obnoxiously.

"Well, he can't scout for talent when you don't have any, now can he?" I asked snidely. Sure, you catch more flies with honey, I know that. But things don't work that way with Trina. She looked at me with a tight lipped smile.

"You're a real bitch, you know that?" She asked as she crossed her arms and began tapping her foot.

I laughed as I gave her a sadistic smile, "Tell me something I don't know. Now, all niceties aside, I have to ask you something."

Trina looked at me with surprise as she clicked her tongue once before speaking, "Who knew Jade West would actually ask for someone's blessing?"

"What?" I asked, confused and slightly irritated.

"You want me to tell you I'm okay with you dating my sister. I mean, it's whatever. At least I know no one's gonna mess with her. Not with you as her girlfriend. Plus, that means all those guys will get over this whole new girl fetish faster and realize I'm the Vega worth talking about." She said, flipping her hair over her shoulder. I rolled my eyes at her egotism before asking the questions that were burning inside me.

"What would make you think I'd even need your permission to date Vega? Wait, how would you even...?" I trailed off.

Trina looked at me like I was crazy, "It isn't a secret, Jade. Someone clearly has a set of loose lips if you thought it was."

I crossed my arms as I thought about how this could have gotten around to Trina. "Well, I know for a fact it isn't your sister."

Trina grimaced and gagged dramatically, "Okay, gross. I could have gone my entire life without knowing that."

"You pervert, that isn't what I meant. Though, that's true too." I gave her a wink as she shuddered again. "Who did you hear it from?" I asked with narrowed eyes.

She looked incredibly nervous as her eyes moved all around the hallway, "Was that the bell? I gotta go." She said as she tried walking away. I grabbed her arm and pulled her back to face me, giving her a warning glare, "Beck told me after the last time you two broke up. He was trying to figure out if Tori still liked Andre. He let it slip that you two were doing whatever the hell it was that you were doing. I guess he hadn't got the memo that Tori's only into chicks, and that whole Andre thing was, like, a fluke. You should have seen her face after the first time he kissed her. It was hilarious."

"Trina, focus!" I said, snapping my fingers in her face. She stopped telling her story and looked at me expectantly.

"What?"

"Do your parents know she's gay? Does she even know that you know?" I asked, growing frustrated with Trina's lack of attention for the more serious of matters.

She rolled her eyes, "Of course they know. But she doesn't know that we know. My mom said that we should let her tell us when she's ready. Why do you even care about any of this?"

I stayed silent for a moment, thinking about what my next move should be. I could snap on Trina about how it was none of her damn business why I was wondering. Or I could be an adult and tell Trina exactly what was going on.

"I need your help with something." I said reluctantly.

Trina looked at me nervously, "What is it?"

"If you repeat what I'm about to tell you, I will find the most painful way to remove every strand of hair from your entire body." I said taking a step closer to her in a threatening manner.

"Okay, I get it." She said, taking a step back.

I let out a sigh, "I...I like Tori. A lot. And I know she likes me too. But she's scared about how you and your parents are going to take to finding out that she's gay."

Trina looked at me slightly skeptically, "Are you sure that's the only reason?"

"What? Yes. What else would it be?"

"Well, you're a little inconsistent, Jade." Trina said, looking at me with a knowing glare, "I mean, I wouldn't blame her if she was scared that you were just using this as a way to get Beck back."

I ground my teeth, "I'm working on that. The odds of you and Beck getting together are greater than the odds of Beck and I getting back together. Trust me."

Trina looked at me with wide eyes, "Really? You think?" She asked, sickeningly hopeful until the insult sunk in, "Hey!"

"Not the point right now, Trina. Are you going to help me or not?"

She pondered for a moment before rolling her eyes, "Of course. If it's going to benefit my baby sis, it'll do nothing but help me in the long run. What do you have in mind?"

I gave her a wicked smile before filling her in on the plan I had been developing in my mind.

Thankfully, the end of the day seemed to come much faster than I had anticipated. Even better, as I was on my way to my locker, I ran directly into the younger Vega.

"Tori."

She looked at me through pained eyes and let out a sigh of defeat, "Jade."

"Trina knows."

Confusion overtook the pain as she cocked a brow, "Knows what?"

"About us." I answered simply.

"What? How? Did you tell her?" Vega asked frantically.

I rolled my eyes, "Calm your tits. Good god. She found out from Beck. She doesn't even care."

Vega looked at me, still confused and slightly hurt, "Why didn't she say anything to me about it?"

"She didn't want you to be pressured into coming out when you weren't ready. Or some shit."

Vega looked at me skeptically, "That's surprisingly thoughtful of her."

"I said the same thing. Look, I get it. The whole fear thing. I just...I'm not going anywhere, okay? I'm going to be right here waiting for you whenever you're ready."

"Jade West waiting around for someone? Who would have thought." Vega said witha playful smile.

I rolled my eyes, though allowed a smirk to grace my own lips, "Yeah, yeah. Come on, lemme give you a ride home." I said as I nodded towards the exit. Surprisingly enough, she willingly complied and followed me out of school and to my car.

"So, I'm...I'm sorry about this morning." Vega said bashfully as we drove to her house.

I shook my head, "You have nothing to apologize for. This is...Well, it's complicated. I understand. I'm just...I don't know. I'm me. I'm difficult."

"You don't have to tell me twice." Vega joked. We shared a slightly uncomfortable laugh as I pulled into her driveway. I paused as I put the car in park. The only way this plan would work is if she invited me inside right now. Really, everything was resting on it.

"Do you...Do you wanna come in?" Vega asked, awkwardly nodding towards her house.

I allowed a small smile to break across my lips, "Sure." I said. I turned the car off and got out, walking behind Vega as she made her way to the door.

Upon entering the house, I saw Trina sitting on the couch and Tori's parents standing in the kitchen. Trina looked at me and subtly rubbed her nose twice. Our code that the plan was on track.

"Tori, honey, how are you?" Her mom asked with a sweet smile. They were nice people. Of course they'd love her no matter what she chose to do with her life. So why didn't she understand that?

"Fine." Vega replied suspiciously eyeing her family.

"Jade. Always nice to see you...not cutting up my flowers." Mr. Vega said, winking at me playfully when Tori turned to look at me in confusion.

"I forgot my scissors." I said, hoping they thought I was saying it in a goodnatured way.

"So what are you girls up to today?" Mrs. Vega asked cheerily.

"I don't know. We were just going to-"

"Actually, there was something I wanted to ask you." I said, cutting off Vega's description of whatever she thought we were going to do. I walked right by her and straight into the kitchen, pausing right before her parents.

"Jade, what are you-"

"Shut it, Tori." Trina snapped.

"Mr. and Mrs. Vega, I was wondering...Well, would it be okay if I took your daughter on a date?" I asked as politely as I could muster. My palms were sweating profusely and my heart was clamoring in my chest so hard I thought it would try to jump right out of my throat.

"Jade!" Tori screeched behind me.

There was a moment of dead silence. Literally. The only thing I could hear was the clock ticking. I knew what they were going to say. Well, not verbatim, but I had a pretty good idea. This dramatic pause seemed unnecessary.

Mrs. Vega's smile nearly split her face as she reached out and gently rubbed my arm, "You have our permission, Jade."

"Wait, she what?" Tori exclaimed. I turned back and looked at her with a crooked smile.

"I think they just gave us their blessing." I said.

Tori sputtered some incoherent syllables before her dad saved her from actually having to form an English sentence, "Tori, just breathe. I don't need you hyperventilating on us before you can even go on this date."

"You mean, you don't...you don't care?" Tori asked, finally joining me in front of her parents.

"Care about what? Jade's tattoos and piercings? Not at all." Vega's dad said humorously.

Trina came up on the other side of Tori, wrapping an arm protectively around her shoulders, "We just want you to be happy. And if the Wicked Witch of the West makes you happy, so be it." Trina said with a shrug.

"Besides, no guy has ever asked for our permission to take either of you on a date. This...this is a nice change." Mrs. Vega said, giving me an appreciative smile.

Tori's eyes slid from her sister, to her parents, and then finally to me. "You planned this, didn't you?" She asked.

I shrugged, "Guilty. You needed to see that it didn't matter. Nothing I could have said would have made you believe that. You needed to hear it from the source."

"I should really hate you for doing this." Vega said.

"But you don't." I said, crinkling my nose and smiling playfully at her.

"Well, what are you girls waiting for? I believe you have a date to be getting to." Mr. Vega said, clapping his hands together.

I clasped my hand tightly to Vega's and led her to the front door. I looked back and nodded my thanks to Trina. She smiled in return, then as if what had just happened had been a figment of my imagination, she started going off on a rant about some beauty remedy where she needed seven pounds of butter and a honey comb. As soon as she started, Vega tugged me more forcefully, pulling me out of the house.

"We needed to get out of there fast." Vega said with a laugh, "She gets very serious about her remedies."

"I've heard." I said, amused.

We got into my car and Vega began fiddling with her hands in her lap. Fidgeting. That was never a good sign.

"We're okay, right?" I asked tentatively.

She looked at me with a warm smile, "Of course we are. I just...I can't believe it. Every time I pictured telling my parents, it never went that smoothly."

"Well, in their defense, they didn't stand a chance against my charm." I said jokingly. She laughed and looked at me with bright eyes.

"Thanks, Jade." She said.

"For what?"

"For proving to me that I didn't have anything to be afraid of." She said as we came to a red light. I looked at her with a grin and leaned over my center console, kissing her right on the mouth.

"I will never hesitate to do something if it means making you smile." I said softly.

If it was actually possible, her smile grew even more as she looked at me in awe, "You're _such_ a softy."

"Oh God. No. No way. Don't ever." I groaned and shook my head as I continued to drive.

I took her to a little restaurant that wasn't exactly a popular place to go. I had been there countless times, and always thought that it would be the perfect date spot. It was. The perfect date spot for the perfect date. Christ, I _was_ turning into a softy. After a wonderful dinner, we met up with the rest of the gang at an ice cream place, and I suddenly became incredibly nervous to see how she would react in front of people that weren't her family. After all, her family was only half the battle.

We walked into the building together and waved to our friends before getting our ice cream. Vega flounced over to the booth where everyone was with her ice cream in hand. She took a seat next to Cat and scooted in far enough so I would have room as well.

"Sorry we're late, guys. My _girlfriend_ just took me on the greatest date ever." Vega gushed and I felt my cheeks turn a bright crimson. There were a series of aw's and other obnoxious noises as we got nods of approval. Vega clasped my hand under the table as she lapped at her ice cream cone. Andre looked at me with a wide grin, and I was thankful that we were able to move past all the drama that had happened between the three of us.

Hey, if this is the way things would be from now on, I'd be more than happy with that. More than happy with that.

**Oh, the fluff! Hopefully things won't be so dramatic and these two can be happy in peace! Chapter title is a Copeland song. Enjoy. Until next time, kids!**


	9. As Lovers Go

As I walked into the school the next day, to say the anticipation of seeing Vega was killing me would have been an understatement. My heart was thumping in my chest. It would finally be the day that I would be able to kiss Tori Vega in public without giving a damn about who saw or what anyone said.

I saw her standing at her locker as she fumbled with papers in a folder, completely unaware of her surroundings. I had two coffees in my hands, one for me and one for her, and as I approached her, I held the coffee in between her face and the folder in her hands. She let out a small noise of surprise as she closed the folder and looked at me.

"Thanks, Jade." She said, taking the coffee out of my hand.

"No problem." I smiled as I leaned in for a kiss. She pulled back and my lips barely grazed her cheek. I stood up straight and looked at her in shock, "Well, maybe I should have gotten you an iced coffee."

"What are you talking about?" She asked nonchalantly as she put the folder back into her locker and took a drink of her coffee.

"That was cold, Vega." I said, not bothering to hide how hurt I was.

"Look, Jade," She paused and let out a sigh, "I know what you did yesterday was your way of helping me. And I get it, my parents already knew. But...I wasn't ready, and you just went behind my back and..."

"Wait, are you telling me that you're mad about what happened yesterday?"

"I'm not mad...I'm just..." She paused for a moment, clearly trying to gather her thoughts as I looked at her incredulously, "It's great that our friends and families know. That's fine. But I'm not ready for strangers to be looking at us and giving their judgement about something they don't understand. I just want you to respect that." She said to me, looking at me desperately.

My eyes were cold and my posture was rigid as I gave her a clipped nod, "Sure. I get it." I said before turning around.

"Where are you going?" She asked.

"Away from you. I would hate for people to be suspicious about what's really going on here." I drawled on as I stalked back over to my locker. Call me a romantic, but I was hoping that this would be the moment that she would throw her insecurity to the side and follow me, turning me to her and kissing me.

I got to my locker to find myself alone. That simple fact enraged me as I opened my locker aggressively and leaned into it, staring at its contents. I did everything I could to stop myself from throwing another glance in Vega's direction.

"What's going on, girl?" I heard a familiar voice say to me, breaking me out of my concentration.

I looked up at Andre as he rested one arm on the top of my locker door.

"Nothing." I grumbled.

"What are you doing over here? I figured you'd never miss another opportunity to be kissing on your girl now that you guys are out." Andre said with a smug smirk. The glowering look I gave him wiped that smile right off of his face as he stood up straight and rubbed his hands together, "So that doesn't look good."

"She...She's upset," I said, placing heavy emphasis on the fact that Vega herself stated she wasn't mad, "that I outed her to her family."

"But they already knew?" Andre stated as more of a question.

"Yeah. Regardless of who knew what and when, basically she said I had complete disregard for what she really wanted. I just...I don't know, Andre. I thought I was doing something good for her. I thought she just needed a little push. Instead I pushed her in the wrong direction." I said dropping my hands in defeat.

"So what now?" Andre asked as he leaned against the wall by my locker.

"Nothing. Not a damn thing." I said after letting out a sigh.

"What do you mean nothing?" Andre asked incredulously.

"I mean exactly what I said, Andre. I'm not going to do anything. If this is what she wants, then this is what I'll give her. I've done everything I could to make her see that this would be worth it."

"Wow. That was probably the shortest relationship in Hollywood Arts history." Andre said dryly, trying his hand at humor. I gave him a scowl.

"I'm not saying we're over. I'm just saying...oh fuck, I don't even know what I'm saying anymore. I thought I had it all figured out. And now it's all fucked up." I closed my locker and adjusted my bag on my shoulder.

"So..." Andre began.

"Don't ask me what I'm going to do." I barked. He put his hands up in a mock surrender as he took a step back.

"All right, all right. I get it." Andre said.

"Come on, let's go." I said, grabbing Andre by the elbow and heading to our class, walking right by Vega and not even bothering to casting a glance her way. I heard her let out a dramatic sigh and the shutting of her locker.

Andre did his best to try to cheer me up and get my mind off of the situation with Vega, but in all honesty he did a shit job at it. I spent three classes staring at the wall while I thought about just exactly what I could do to fix what I had unintentionally damaged. Though as soon as I thought about a remedy, I instantly got infuriated with the fact that I had tried to do something nice for her and I was still the bad guy.

By the time lunch came around, I didn't think I could face her, not without saying something I knew I would wind up seriously regretting it. So I opted out of going to the cafeteria and instead went to the black box theatre to get some peace and quiet. I was sitting in the front row furthest away from the door as I doodled on my sketch pad. I had been there for quite a while, enjoying the solace of being alone with my own thoughts until I heard the auditorium doors open. I turned around, preparing myself to scream at whoever disrupted my sanctuary. That is, until I saw Vega standing there wringing her hands with her lower lip pulled in between her lip.

"Hi." She greeted me meekly.

I gave her a nod as I went back to my drawing. I heard the clicking of her boots as she approached me and saw her standing next to me out of my peripheral vision.

"Can I sit here?" She asked politely. Damn her for still being so poised when I was a complete wreck.

"It's a free country." I said childishly.

She took the seat anyway and crossed her ankles as she turned her body in my direction.

"You weren't at lunch."

"Perceptive." I said dryly.

"Jade, come on. This isn't fair." Tori pleaded with me.

"Fair? You wanna talk about fair? How is it fair that whenever I think we've taken a big step in our relationship, I'm completely wrong and we're back to square one? How is it fair that I have been the only one putting any effort into making this work? How is it fair that I am being punished for loving you?" I asked her, the desperation in my voice coming out stronger than I would have liked. That last thing I said slipped out, too.

Vega looked at me with wide eyes, "You...you love me?" She whispered.

I let out a sigh and dropped my eyes to my lap, anticipating her to run away from me like she had been doing so frequently. "Yeah. Fuck me, right?" I said sarcastically.

"I...I didn't know." Vega's voice was so soft, I hardly heard her.

"What did you think this was?" I asked as I finally met her eyes.

Vega's cheeks reddened at my question, and I had a feeling I already knew the answer before she even bothered opening her mouth.

"Right. You thought this was one big rebound." I scoffed and shook my head.

"Can you blame a girl?"

"Yeah, actually I can." I said softly, all the venom from my voice was long gone, and I was tired. "I tried everything to get you to see that I was done with Beck. I get it that in the beginning this whole thing was messy. No one understands that more than me. And I wouldn't have blamed you had you walked away a long time ago. But you didn't. You kept coming back. And whenever I would get the smallest glimpse that things would be okay, you would clam up and run away. Are you really that ashamed to be with me?" I asked her as tears rimmed my downcast eyes.

"Jade, you can't be serious in saying that."

"Look, this isn't about me right now. This is about you. This is about whatever you're feeling that is keeping you from having what I know you want."

"I just, I really don't want to deal with other people thinking they know anything about our relationship when they don't." Vega said.

"Why? Because we're two girls? Come on, Vega, people butting into a couple's business? That isn't a novel concept reserved solely for lesbian couples. Everyone thought they knew what my relationship with Beck was like, and no one really did. No one but Beck and myself." I said defensively.

"It's worse, Jade. Trust me." Vega grumbled, and I got the feeling there was something more here.

"What are you talking about, Tori?" I asked, leaning forward slightly and gently resting my hand over hers.

"I was out at my old school. Well, more specifically, I was outed. I had been seeing this girl in secret. I didn't care if people knew, but she was terrified about people finding out. We got caught kissing one day at school and she freaked out and told everyone that I came onto her and she didn't want anything to do with it. It was pretty bad. Kids can be cruel, Jade." She said with a sniffle, wiping at her nose with the back of her hand. "I didn't tell anyone about the bullying. I started to think that there was something wrong with me. I thought that my family would react in the same way that the people at school did. So I buried it. I completely ignored any kind of feelings I had for girls and just kinda started sleeping around a lot. And then I came here, and I thought it would have been a great chance to start over."

"It is." I urged gently, squeezing her hand, "I'm not going anywhere, Vega. But I'm not going to make you do something you aren't ready for, either. I'm sorry, I didn't know about what happened. I wouldn't have done what I did yesterday if I had known."

I saw Vega smirk slightly, "It isn't your fault, Jade. And I'm really not upset about what you did. Really. It needed to happen. I just...I didn't think you cared so much. It caught me off guard."

"Hey," I whispered, lifting my hand to her cheek as I cupped her face gently, "You will never have to question how much I care ever again. You got that? If you let me, I will make you forget about everyone who has ever hurt you, Tori."

A soft smile made its way to those perfect lips as she looked at me through tears, "Really?"

"Really." I repeated, a smile gracing my own lips as I leaned in and kissed her.

We sat there for a moment in silence, sharing gentle kisses as I wiped away the tears from her cheeks. I couldn't help wondering where this left us. When we walked out of the theatre, would we be back to where we were this morning? Or was this a moment of change where we could finally move on past this point of uncertainty.

The bell rang, loudly reminding us that lunch was over and we had classes to get back to. We stood from our seats and walked to the doors that lead back into the school. Vega was holding onto my hand tightly, our fingers laced together beautifully. As I put my hand on the door, I looked at her.

"We don't have to do this if you aren't ready. I mean it. I was a dick for not understanding why you'd be hesitant and scared. It was really insensitive." I said sincerely.

Vega giggled and looked at me with those big brown eyes, "I don't think I've ever heard a girl call herself a dick."

"Well, I was incredibly dickish to you."

She leaned up and planted a kiss on my lips, "How out of character of you."

"You deserve the better version of Jade." I said with a shrug.

"Jade 2.0?" Tori joked. We shared a laugh, "Does this mean you'll stop making fun of me?" She asked hopefully.

"Does this mean you'll stop making fun of me?" I repeated in the accent I use to mock her. She rolled her eyes and pulled me through the door.

"Somethings never change." She grumbled playfully as we walked to her locker.

"Be thankful for it, my dear." I said as I positioned myself on the other side of her, leaning against the locker next to hers.

"I see you two managed to work things out." Trina said as she walked up to us.

"Yes, Trina." Tori said, rolling her eyes.

"Thank God. I don't think I could stand listening to her go on for another minute about how lovesick she was." Trina said to me, rolling her eyes dramatically and pointing to her younger sister.

"Lovesick, you say?" I stood up straight as I waggled my eyebrows at Tori. Her face turned a lovely shade of crimson as she looked at Trina with extreme irritation. Trina rolled her eyes once more and walked away, waving us off with a request of us not being too loud if we decided to consummate our relationship at the Vega household later. We both found ourselves blushing at that comment.

"No more trouble in paradise?" Andre said as he approached both of us, lazily slinging an arm around my shoulders. Vega eyed him suspiciously as she closed her locker and leaned her back against the metal.

"We're good." I said as I gave Vega a smile.

"No, we're great." Vega said as she took a step forward and claimed my lips in a kiss I wasn't sure she would be okay with displaying publicly.

"That is great." I heard Rex's voice say before Vega released my mouth from hers.

"Shut it, puppet." I barked at him.

"He's not a puppet!" Robbie whined as Cat giggled beside him.

"Now Jade can stop lying about hating Tori." Cat said in her airy voice as she looked at both of us.

"I sure can, Cat." I said with a slight eye roll as Vega loosely intertwined our fingers. The way she gently tugged me closer to her was not subtle at all as Andre's arm fell from my shoulders as I leaned into her.

"Jade, I've been meaning to talk to you. About the duet..." Andre began awkwardly. I looked at him with my head tilted in confusion.

"What's up?"

"I uh... I wound up just using Cat instead. The deadline kind of snuck up on me and I needed to get it done fast. I'm sorry, you just had a lot going on. I thought it would be easier." Andre said frantically.

"Andre, it's okay." I said with a laugh, "I completely get it. Next time, okay?" I offered with a smile. He let out a sigh and nodded with one of his tilted smiles.

"We should probably be getting to class." Andre said as he pointed in the direction of Sikowitz's room. We all nodded and agreed as we made our way there. Once outside the door, I tugged Vega back and looked at her.

"Are you sure you're okay with this?" I asked again.

She smiled and laughed, "I am positive. As long as I have you, I'll be okay." We shared a smile before leaning in for one last kiss. My fingers grazed her neck gently and I felt her shudder underneath my skin.

"Jade, kiss your girlfriend on your own time!" Sikowitz said as he walked by us and into the classroom. We pulled away and laughed, embarrassed, as we followed him into the room. We took our seats and I instinctively slung my arm around the back of her chair and leaned into her. Sikowitz was standing at the front of the room, hands clasped together and smiling in mine and Tori's direction in a really creepy way.

"Can we help you?" I asked, finally growing irritated with the uncomfortable silence.

"I just wanted to congratulate you two. Jade can finally quit her act. No one was fooled!" He laughed loudly as the majority of the class nodded their agreement. Apparently I wasn't a very good actress when it came to my true feelings. Whatever. Sikowitz spun around and dove headfirst into the crazy lecture he had planned for the day. I was distracted by the way Vega's dexterous fingers were lazily drawing patterns through my tights and onto my thigh.

"Are you okay?" I whispered to her.

"If you keep asking me that, I won't be." She answered playfully.

"I just want to make sure. You can't blame a girl for being protective."

"I am so going to take advantage of the benefits of this new you." Tori said with a grin.

"You better be careful, Tori." I said in a warning voice.

"Or what?" She challenged, cocking a brow at me.

"Or I'll just have to take advantage of you right back. And you know how I get." I said in a low, sultry voice. Vega's cheeks reddened at my comment as she pulled her lower lip in between her teeth. I smirked at her obvious reaction to what I insinuated before casting my attention back to our crazy teacher who was going off on some tangent that really had nothing to do with acting.

The rest of the day moved smoothly. I got to kiss Vega at her locker, walk her to her class, and wait for her afterwards. I honestly could not have been happier. Nor could I have ever imagined us to be in the position we were currently in. It was perfect.

I met her at her locker once school was over and wrapped my arms around her waist from behind as she rummaged through her locker.

"Now this is something I think I could get used to." She hummed as she turned her head to kiss me.

"Damn straight." I said with a smile as I kissed her cheek. We walked out to my car together once she had all of her things, "So how was the rest of your day?" I asked tentatively.

"I'm not having second thoughts, if that's what you're asking." She said knowingly as she looked at me. I felt my cheeks blush slightly.

"I'm sorry, I'm just..."

"I don't blame you. I've been pretty flakey with you." She cut me off from any kind of explanation I could give. She let out a sigh and shook her head, "We've got a white slate now, okay? We can forget about everything in the past. The mornings that I left you alone, the nights that shouldn't have happened, the arguments, the Beck, the Andre." Vega droned on as she ticked off all of the things that had put bumps in our relationship.

I thought for a moment, "We shouldn't forget them. It's what brought us to where we are today. We shouldn't linger on them anymore, though. Fair enough?" I asked as we walked up to my car.

"Fair enough." She answered as she leaned forward and kissed me before I opened the passenger side door for her.

When we were both buckled in, Vega started digging through her purse frantically searching for something.

"You okay there, tiger?" I asked humorously as I watched her.

"Fine. Just...can't seem to find...this!" She exclaimed as she pulled a CD case from the contents of her bag.

"What's that?" I asked as I hit the eject button on my stereo, pulling out the CD that was already in there.

"A new copy of that CD I made you. I figured you probably needed a new one." She said, blushing slightly. I smiled as I took the CD from her and opened the case. Thank God, she had labeled this one:

1. Stacy Clark - I Do  
2. Sleeping with Sirens - If I'm James Dean, You're Audrey Hepburn  
3. Stutterfly - Gun in Hand  
4. Counting Crows - Anna Begins  
5. Stars - Celebration Guns  
6. Biirdy - Skinny Love  
7. Abandon All Ships - Take One Last Breath  
8. Alesana - The Thespian  
9. Among Savages - Terrfied  
10. Blessthefall - Hey Baby, Here's That Song You Wanted  
11. Brand New - Jesus Christ  
12. Bring Me the Horizon - Sleep with One Eye Open  
13. Broadway - Same Thing We Do Everyday, Pinky  
14. Chiodos - Baby, You Wouldn't Last a Minute on the Creek  
15. Manchester Orchestra - Colly Strings  
16. City and Colour - The Girl  
17. In Fear and Faith - Bones  
18. Confide - Delete, Repeat  
19. Manchester Orchestra - Golden Ticket  
20. Neutral Milk Hotel - Two Headed Boy  
21. The Civil Wars - 20 Years  
22. The Smiths - Asleep

I looked at her with a grin as I put the new CD in my stereo.

"Thanks, Tor."

"No problem...babe." She said playfully.

"Oh God, no. No pet names." I shook my head as I pulled out of the parking lot.

Vega laughed loudly and soon I found myself joining in. We could be happy. It was easier than we thought. Sure, we each had made our fair share of mistakes. That was always to be expected in a relationship. And of course, there were things about the other that we needed to discover, and that was something I just couldn't wait to do.

Yeah, this was the beginning of something amazing. That much I was absolutely certain of.

**And fin! Chapter title is a Dashboard Confessional song.**


	10. Epilogue - All My Heart

**So I felt bad kinda just cutting it short with that last chapter without warning, and I was asked for an epilogue. And you know I can't refuse you guys. I CAN'T STOP ENDING THEM ALL FLUFFY! I hope you guys enjoy it. The chapter title is a song by Sleeping with Sirens.**

"No!" I yelled as I stormed into the Vega household, my girlfriend hot on my heels as I bounded up the stairs and into her room, slamming the door in her face and clicking the lock quickly.

"You can't lock me out of my own room!" Vega shouted through the door. Humor and irritation both clearly evident in her voice.

"Watch me!" I yelled back.

"What's the demon queen's problem?" I heard Trina say, and I could picture her standing in her own doorway, probably with some creepy avocado mask on her face with one hand cocked on her hip.

"_Jade's_ problem," Vega said and I had to smile at her ability to defend me even when she was angry, "is that she's a huge hypocrite!" She finished with a small bang on her door.

I opened the door, "I am _not_ a hypocrite."

Vega looked at me with wide eyes, "Oh, you aren't? Let me get this straight, then; you gave me so much shit for not wanting to come out to my family, though you refused to tell me that your own family has no clue about you. That doesn't make you a hypocrite?"

"Oh shit." Trina said through a chuckle as she continued to watch us argue. I casted her an evil glare over her younger sister's shoulder, though Vega threw up a hand, interfering me from getting a good look at Trina.

"Answer me." Vega said through clenched teeth.

"No, they don't know." I said obnoxiously as I walked back into her bedroom.

"Why not? If it's so important to have a family's support, why is it so pertinent that my family know but not yours?" Vega said mockingly as she followed me into the room.

"Because my family wouldn't give a shit, Tori! And not like the way your parents didn't. Your parents accepted it with open arms because they _love_ you. My parents wouldn't care because they just don't care about what I do!" I shouted, my voice cracking and threatening the situation with a flood of tears. I took a deep breath to recompose myself as I watched how Tori retracted her irritation and anger. Her shoulders slumped in defeat and she looked at me with much softer eyes, "No, don't even give me your sympathy Vega. I don't need it."

"I'm not giving you any sympathy, Jade. I'm giving you the support you need. The support that's going to drive your ass to your house so you can tell them the truth. Or would you rather I blindside you with it like you did to me?" Vega asked with just the right about of bite in her voice.

"I apologized for that! At least a thousand times!" I said exasperated as I flopped down onto her bed. She instantly was standing in front of me, tugging me up by my hands back onto my feet.

"Oh no, you don't. We are marching right over there so you can finally get this off of that wonderful chest of yours." She said once she finally got me upright.

"How do you even know if my parents are home or not?" I asked snidely as I moped around the room dramatically.

"Because we're here." Vega said, looking at me like it was a stupid question. I looked at her with a raised brow, a silent question for a further explanation. She rolled her eyes and let out a sigh, "We always come here first when your parents are home."

"You caught on to that?" I asked feeling slightly discouraged. Vega nodded simply as she picked her purse back up and ushered me out of her room. I walked very sluggishly to her car, she practically had to drag me. Alas, she succeeded in buckling me into my seat and off we were.

"What's the worse that could happen, Jade?" Vega asked me, over the music blaring through the speakers.

"Oh, I don't know, they could completely disown me." I said dramatically.

"What? You weren't afraid of my parents reacting the same way?"

"No. I talked to Trina beforehand. She said everyone in your family already knew. If I had gotten a different answer from her, my plan of action would have been different. I wouldn't have been so ballsy if I didn't know you would be safe."

"That is...surprisingly sweet of you." Vega said, casting me a sideways glance and a tilted smile.

"Whatever." I grumbled as I slumped down into my seat.

The rest of the drive was void of any conversation, and when we finally pulled into my driveway, I could feel my pulse kick into overdrive as I let out a deep sigh.

"Well, here goes nothing." Vega said, obnoxiously cheerily as we walked through my front door.

"Mom. Dad." I called out.

"In here." I heard my mom's voice reply from the den. We kicked off our shoes and I lead us into what would possibly be the worst decision of my entire life.

"Hi." I said simply. My dad grunted from his laptop at his desk and my mom gave a slight wave of her hand, not even looking up from her legal pad.

I looked at Vega with an I-told-you-so glare and she nudged me with her shoulder, encouraging me to speak again.

"Mom, Dad, this is Tori. She's my girlfriend." I said loudly, hoping to convey that I was feeling much more confident about the situation than I really was.

"That's nice, honey," was all my mom had to say, her eyes never daring to leave her work. My dad didn't even acknowledge that he heard me.

Frustration started to brew deep in my gut as I took in another deep breath, "As in, I'm dating her."

My mother finally tore her eyes away from her own writing as she looked up and appraised Tori, "You're very pretty, dear." She said fondly.

My jaw damn near hit the floor as I heard Vega giggle slightly and politely thank my mother for the compliment.

"Wait, so are you guys telling me that you don't care that I'm gay?" I asked, flabbergasted that this was actually happening. Was I in the fucking twilight zone?

My father finally turned from his laptop to look at me, "Would you like a medal, Jade? Maybe a coming-out party?" He said. The thing that caught me off guard was the complete lack of mockery or condescension from his voice. He actually had the smallest trace of a smile, if I wasn't mistaken.

"Wha-No. I mean, I just...I guess I was expecting..." I stammered, unable to actually form a coherent sentence about my current predicament.

"Jade, your father and I are just glad that you are finally happy. We've been meaning to talk to you about this new person of interest," She paused, taking a moment to look fondly at Tori, "so we could finally meet the girl that got our daughter to stop hating everything about the world."

"I still hate most things." I grumbled, crossing my arms and looking at my parents skeptically.

My mother chuckled as she took her glasses off of her face and set them on the coffee table in front of her, "Of course you do, dear." She stood and walked towards me, and as if my life couldn't get any weirder right now, she embraced me in a hug. One of a handful that I had ever received from her in my entire life.

"You are happy, aren't you?" My father asked as he walked up behind my mother and resting a hand on her shoulder once she let me go.

I nodded, finally allowing the smile that had been fighting its way to my face throughout this entire encounter, "Yeah. I am, Dad."

"Then that's all that matters." He said as he looked at me with a smile.

"Who are you people and what have you done with my parents?" I asked.

They both shared a smile before moving back to the couch and ushering Tori and myself to sit in the loveseat across from them. We obliged.

"Your father and I have been doing a lot of talking. We were so afraid that we were going to lose you. That once you graduated from high school, you'd move out and we'd never hear from you again. I'll be the first to admit that we haven't been the most spectacular parents, and eighteen years into your daughter's life is one hell of a time to start parenting, but we're hoping that you'll see it as a better-late-than-never sort of thing." My mother said, looking at me hopefully.

"You have disapproved of everything I've ever done." I said softly, trying my hardest not to convey complete disregard to what my mother had just said.

My father let out a sigh, "Yes. And we were wrong to have been so harsh on you. Your mother and I just want what's best for you. It just took us a little longer to realize that you were going after what was best. We've agreed that Hollywood Arts has made you a better person. Better than you would have been had we sent you to that boarding school." My father chuckled as his poor attempt at a joke, "I just wish you'd take out that stupid piercing." He said, shaking his head.

I let out a laugh, "Now there's dear old Dad."

"We would like to be able to be in a room for longer than ten minutes without someone screaming at someone else and storming out of the house. Granted, that's going to take work on both sides. But we're willing to do what it takes. We want the three of us to be a family." My mother said with a smile, and I was beginning to really believe her.

"Four." My father said.

"Four?" She repeated, looking at him confused.

"Well, if Tori here is going to be sticking around, she might as well get the family treatment right off the bat." He said with a warm smile. I looked over to Tori, making sure that she didn't think all of this would be too much. I still had insecurities about her habit of bolting when things got thick. Though she wore a radiant smile that made her look even more beautiful and I couldn't help reaching out and holding her hand.

"Well. Would you two be interested in staying for dinner?" My mother asked.

"I am so sorry, Mrs. West, we already told my parents we would eat at my house." Vega said, incredibly apologetic.

"Tomorrow, then?" My father suggested.

"Yes, of course!" Tori agreed brightly, and then looked at me for reassurance. I nodded, a little smirk playing at my lips.

"Well, we should be going then." I said as I got to my feet and Tori did the same. We made our way out of the room and as we were putting our shoes back on, my father appeared in the hall.

"Jade? A minute, please?" He asked, waving me over. My heart sunk. This was it. Now they would tell me how disappointed they were in me and how I was kicked out of the house and that they never wanted to see me again. They were just too polite to say it in front of Tori.

I followed him into the kitchen where he surprised me even more than the last ten minutes of being in this house. He hugged me. He held me so close, I almost felt like a little girl again. Back when we all got along.

"You're not dying, are you?" I asked when he finally let me go.

He chuckled, "No. Just happy that you're my daughter. Don't let her go, Jade. I don't think I've seen anyone look at her the way you do. And same goes for her." He said, squeezing my shoulders gently.

I gave him a smile, "I have. It's the same way you and Mom used to look at each other when I was little."

I had just about enough of this hallmark moment, knowing I'd say something stupid if I didn't get out soon. I excused myself after another moment of silence and made my way back to see Tori and my mother talking. The smiles on their faces took me by surprise. I hadn't seen my mother smile so much in years.

Hell, if this was Tori's doing, I think she just gave me another reason to keep her close.

We said our goodbyes to my mother and walked out of the house. I let out a deep sigh and took in a giant breath of fresh air.

"That was just awful, Jade. How have you survived all these years?" Vega joked with me as we got back into her car.

I rolled my eyes, "I...I have no idea what happened in there, but I am seriously glad for whatever midlife crisis my parents are going through."

"I get that things used to suck for you. Trust me, I've met your dad before. But that man...that was like a completely different guy back there!" Tori exclaimed.

"I know." I agreed.

"You're happy though, right?" Vega asked, looking at me with concerned eyes as we pulled up to a red light.

"Happy doesn't even begin to describe what I'm feeling right now." I said with a smile as I shook my head, still slightly beside myself about what had just happened. Vega returned my smile as she continued to drive. "Hey, do you mind if we grab a coffee on our way back?" I asked.

Vega shrugged, "Why not?"

We pulled up to the cafe and I rushed in front of Vega to open the door for her. The little bell dinged and suddenly Mary appeared at the counter, giving me a wide grin.

"Jade." She said, looking at me knowingly.

"Mary. I'd like you to meet my girlfriend. Tori."

Tori looked at me, clearly shocked and confused as to why I was introducing her to the barista. Polite as she ever is, Tori took a step in front of me and shook Mary's hand.

"Glad to see things have finally worked in your favor, Jade." Mary said before looking back to Tori, "You know this girl was lovesick over you." She said dramatically.

Tori looked back at me, much like the way I had looked at her with Trina said the same thing about her, "I know the feeling."

Mary squealed and for a moment, I thought Cat was in our presence. She disappeared for a moment only to return with two large to-go cups of coffee, "On the house for the happy couple!" She said with a smile.

"With the amount of free coffee you give me, you'll go out of business." I said, looking at her gratefully.

She waved me off, "I'm not worried about it. I've got plenty of other paying customers."

I shook my head as I smiled and pulled a five out of my pocket and shoved it into the tip jar like I had so many times ago, "This is just the way things will always be, huh?"

"As long as I'm making coffee and as long as you're drinking it." Mary said with a laugh.

"Thanks." I said as Vega and I said our goodbyes.

"So...You go there a lot?" Vega asked once we were back in her car.

"Every day, pretty much. I took you here that day you wore my clothes." I said, giving her a look.

"Oh yeah. I remember now." Vega said.

"She's the one who convinced me to go after you when I thought I should just give up." I said offhandedly as I looked out the window.

"I have a lot to thank her for, then." Vega said, and suddenly her warm hand was gently rubbing my thigh. I covered her hand with my own and squeezed.

"You sure do, kid. Then again, so do I."

Vega laughed suddenly, and I looked at her confused, "We sure are a couple of saps now, aren't we?"

I scoffed, "Speak for yourself, Vega. Jade West is no sap."

She looked at me with mock disdain as she parked her car in the driveway, "No. Please don't refer to yourself in the third person. Ever again."

It was my turn to laugh now and I nodded, "Deal."

It seemed so strange. Only a few months ago, I couldn't even glance at this girl without feeling a slew of emotions that I didn't understand. And now here I am, looking at her with a radiant smile on my face, and she had one to match. I was happy. Who would have though that Jade West was capable of being genuinely happy? Er...Who would have thought I was capable of being genuinely happy?


End file.
